


Ghost Stories

by Tristan_ATK



Series: Skulls Shenanigans [1]
Category: Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, a collection of drabbles from tumblr, a lot of these are older than a year so please have mercy on me, a mix really, and most of these will be ot3 since that's what i ship, most of these have a focus on arthur since he's who i RP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-07-22 03:09:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7417258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tristan_ATK/pseuds/Tristan_ATK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A large collection of my tumblr drabbles and one-shots. All of these belong to an AU in which Arthur, Vivi, and Lewis eventually end up together. There will likely be chapters from different versions of the story as well as canon, such as a Ghost!Arthur one, amongst others. There is no particular chronological order for these, and this won't be updated quickly. Chapters will be tagged with any warnings or information on ships and universes within the drabble.</p>
<p>Varying adventures of Arthur, Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery as they work through life, love, and friendship, and all the ups and downs that go with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heart Break

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble is angst and pre-ot3 with strong hints towards Arthur's feelings for it. It was my very first piece of writing for the MSA fandom, written back in March of 2015, so some thoughts of mine have changed since then. One such thought being that Arthur actually convinced Lewis to ask her out instead, but seeing as this was my first piece, I figured I'd include it in the collection.
> 
> This one is really short, but there will be longer ones coming up soon!
> 
> [ Tumblr Link ](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/114506948361/just-a-quick-drabble)

“We have something to…” Vivi cut off and giggled as Lewis batted at her hair playfully. “haha, _stop_ it Lew! …To tell you Artie.”

Arthur smiled at them and gave them a small nod, inviting them to continue.

They didn’t though. They were all smiles and they kept bumping and laughing and touching each other. And the way they _stared_ at one another, eyes crinkled with adoration, they were acting just like a-.

_…Oh._

They still hadn’t said it, but he didn’t want- wait no, he didn’t _need_ them to. Because he had already figured it out: yes, that was it.

He supposed it was fitting though, that they saw in each other what he saw in both of them. Her shining smile. His kind eyes. He was happy they were happy.

 _Really_.

It was selfish of him, in all honesty, to want them both at the same time. Love is supposed to be between only two people, after all. With two you get a perfect circle. Three is a triangle with sharp edges that dig into your hand when held the wrong way.

Was the air thicker in here or was it just him? Maybe it was thinner actually: that would explain why his head felt so light, like the world was suddenly not beneath his feet and he was watching from above with a headache hammering behind his eyes. Either way his chest hurt. It had to be from a lack of air. He was _ecstatic_ for them dammit. He didn’t love them. He _didn’t_. He loved the _idea_ of them. That had to be it. He was _happy_ for them. These were tears of _joy_ threatening to spill over, nothing more.

Had they already broken the news to him? He didn’t hear. Now they were looking at him with worried eyes, and his chest hurt more. Could it be a heart attack? He felt the muscle hammer painfully inside his chest, like with every beat pieces were breaking off, bit by bit.

No. A heart attack would be less painful than this. He was selfish if he couldn’t let them be happy. And he _was_ glad…though he supposed it wouldn’t hurt anyone to admit, at least in his own mind, that a person could be ecstatic _and_ heartbroken at the same time.

Looking at both of them, he put on his best smile. “I’m _fine,_ you guys. Stop worrying. I…I’m just so happy for both of you.”


	2. A Few Days Prior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-ot3 with hints. mostly fluff, some angst. Again, this fic is very old so a lot of bits have changed story-wise, but I'm including it anyways. I'm posting it now since the first chapter was so awfully short. Hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> [ Tumblr Link ](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/116186748671/a-few-days-prior)

      “So what do you think is the worst crime you can commit?” Vivi rolled onto her side, looking at Arthur and Lewis as she blew her bangs out of her face.

          Arthur glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and a grin. She looked like a strange worm, wrapped in her blue sleeping bag with equally blue hair. Or like that creepy caterpillar guy from Alice in Wonderland.  “That’s kind of a weird question Viv. Did you do something we should know about?”

          She chuckled before answering, wriggling on the mattress they had set up in the back of the van to get more comfortable to face the two more easily. Mystery yipped a little at the bed’s jostling. “I’m just curious. We know pretty much everything else about each other. But this will be something new!”

          Lewis matched Arthur’s grin as he turned more fully towards her, sitting cross-legged on the other side of the mattress. “You sure this isn’t a tactic to get out of going to bed?”

          She huffed in response. “I suppose you don’t know me at all if you don’t realize just how much I value sleep.”

          His deep laugh echoed through the van interior. “Oh, I remember enough of my classes with you in high school to know that’s true.” He laughed harder as he ducked below a soaring pillow.

         She rolled her eyes, but her grin was wide and cheery. “Whatever Lew. Just answer the question.”

         Lewis’s gaze went to the ceiling as he leaned back against the van wall and hummed for a few moments. “Well…I guess I would go with Murder. That’s pretty bad.”

         Arthur chortled before muttering under his breath. “Oh, only _pretty_ bad…”

         Arthur was sitting almost-next to Lewis, right at the edge of the bed. He squawked when the larger boy shoved him lightly, and he fell the whole ten inches to the floor of the van. Viv laughed of course. Lewis huffed as he pushed the purple hair out of his eyes. “Whatever man. You know what I meant…” He glanced at the Vivi, “What about you Viv? Got something better?”

         A little bit of shifting and an arm emerged from her azure cocoon, the fingers of her hand tapping against her chin. “…I’d say I really don’t like lying.”

         “Is that really a crime?” Arthur tilted his head as he sat back on the mattress. Lewis threw his arm around him and dragged him closer to the center. Vivi did a remarkable imitation of an inchworm as she made her way across the mattress, effectively trapping him between them. They both pressed a little closer and he fought the urge to flinch away. He felt his cheeks begin to flame, and he rubbed at them with a fake yawn to hide the origin of his redness. They might hate him if they knew. Why did he have to be so weird? A crush on one maybe…but _two_? Society certainly didn't approve of that. What if they didn't either...? 

         Vivi’s response broke into his thoughts. “Well in some cases it is. Like perjury and stuff. But when I said a crime I mean something that’s wrong, or you really don’t like. Sometimes a fib is okay, but I mean the times when it’s only to help the liar, and it’s for personal gain.”

          “So let me get this straight,” Lewis raised a brow. “If one of us capped a guy, you’d be okay with it as long as we told you about it?”

         The other hand was freed from the sleeping bag. “Just a few things,” she said, tapping each finger as she went on with one from the other hand. “For one, neither of you would kill anyone. Lewis, you’re too much of a teddy bear, and Artie cares too much about everyone else to do that to someone. Number two: you couldn’t get away with it if you didn’t have my help. You guys couldn’t even hide that surprise party for my birthday last year from me: how do you expect to hide a body?”

         “Hey. You enjoy solving mysteries. Of course you’d figure out a secret like that beforehand.” Lewis’s eyebrows knit together and he frowned slightly.

          “I do enjoy investigating things. That’s why we made the Mystery Skulls gang. But do you know who else likes solving mysteries? Police _Investigators._ You know, those guys who have both more time _and_ more resources than we do? I think my point stands.”

         Arthur shrugged. “Sorry Lew: can’t really argue with that.”

         She nodded and smiled at him. “You’d totally need my help. Besides, I’ve been on the internet long enough to know the best ways to dump the body and hide the evidence.”

          Lewis chuckled. “Honestly Viv? That’s kind of scary.”

          “I know!” She giggled. “Just remember:  if you ever need to hide a stiff, I got you covered.”

           Lewis chuckled as well as Arthur, though the latter’s laughter was tinged with nerves. Viv could be frightening sometimes, and he didn’t doubt for a second she was telling the truth. 

          She continued counting on her fingers. “Anyway, the rest is pretty straightforward. Three is that honesty is important to me. I mean, I need to be able to trust my friends. If you can come to me with that kind of bomb shell, then I’ll have a bit more faith since you didn’t lie to me, and I’ll try to trust whatever reasons you give me for what you did. Maybe I won’t believe you a hundred percent, but if you don’t lie to me then I’ll trust you deeper and longer.” She paused. “And the last thing is…did you really say ‘capped a guy’ Lew? That was so lame.”

          They all laughed, and Lewis rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly as he spoke. “I guess I just wanted to sound gangster.”

          “Well first, it’s not gangster; it’s gangsta’.” Arthur and Lewis chortled as she made her most serious face and moved her hands like a rapper trying to rile the crowd. She only held the façade for a few moments before the whole thing dissolved into a fit of giggles. She grinned at them and continued. “…Second, you don’t have a gangster bone in your body Lewlew.”

          “I could be tough.” He crossed his arms.

          Vivi coughed into her fist, smothering her words. “* _cough*Sailor-moon lover say what*cough*._ ”

          Lewis glanced at her. “What?”

          It was silent for a few moments as the two of them stared at Lewis.  Arthur swore he even saw Mystery face-palming in his peripheral vision. Lewis was still looking at them in confusion, which seemed to be making it hard for Vivi to keep a straight face.

          Arthur tilted his head. “…really man?”

          A few moments passed, and then finally it seemed to dawn on him what had happened. Lewis’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned red. “Wait…”

          That was all Vivi needed to break into howls of laughter. Arthur grinned at the larger boy, hesitating for a second before patting his arm lightly. “It’s alright Lew. We already knew.” He tried not to laugh at his best friend’s stricken face. “…And we all also know that you would do whatever it takes to help us if either of us were in a bind. You’re a cool guy like that. You don’t need to prove how strong you are. I know you can be tough. You’ve saved my ass on more than one occasion since we started this whole group thing.”

          If anything, the flush on Lewis’s face grew darker, and Vivi’s laughter louder. Arthur looked at the two of them, eyebrows knit together in worry. “Are you guys okay? Is something wrong?”

          Vivi’s smile turned devious as she looked at Lewis, her eyebrows waggling. “I’ll tell you if Lewlew does~.”

          Lewis coughed before turning to Arthur. “W-we never heard what you think the worst crime is.”

          Arthur tilted his head at the _painfully_ obvious deflection, but it wasn’t his place to pry. He hummed as he thought. “…I guess I’d go with theft.”

          Viv frowned. “Really? It’s just… I don’t know. Stealing seems kinda tame. I mean it sucks, but…” She trailed off and shrugged.

          “What would you say is the definition of theft?” Arthur looked between the two.

          Lewis looked up and scratched his chin. “Taking something that doesn’t belong to you.”

          “Without permission.” Viv added.

          Arthur nodded. “I think that’s a pretty good way to say it. By those standards, theft is pretty much all-encompassing. Murder could be considered stealing the victim’s life. Lying is a bit of a stretch, but you could say that you are taking the truth away from someone every time you lie. Kidnapping is literally stealing a whole person. Technically when somebody gets possessed or tied up, something is stealing your free-will and ability to escape.  And abuse is hurting someone, and stealing away their health. It just works with so many crimes that saying the worst offense is theft is like saying all crimes are the worst ones.”

          “I think that’s cheating.” Vivi pouted, crossing her arms.

          Arthur shrugged. “I stand by my choice.”

          “Yeah, it’s a pretty good one, Art.” Lewis nodded. “I like yours a bit more than mine, but I don’t want to be a flip-flopper.”

          That smile from before was back on Vivi’s face. “A _gutless_ flip-flopper~.”

          Lewis glared for a second at her before she chuckled, and Arthur sat between them, looking back and forth as he scratched his head. What was with these two tonight?

          Lewis cleared his throat. “ _Anyway_ , I think all of them were good choices.”

          “Artie cheated, so mine was the best. I totally won.” Viv grinned.

          “None of us agreed on one, so I don’t think you can win in a draw, Viv.” Lewis glanced at her.

          “Oh, no no. I still win.” Vivi ginned triumphantly.

          “What? How? We all had different ones. It’s a three-way tie.” Lewis frowned.

          “That may be partially true, but…” she paused and grabbed Mystery, who gave a startled bark as she dragged him over. “…Mystery agrees with me, seeing as he’s my dog. That means I have two votes.”

          Arthur chuckled at the disgruntled look on Mystery’s face and Lewis’s opening and closing mouth as he struggled to find an argument. Vivi laughed, her hands resting where her hips would’ve been if she wasn’t swathed in a sleeping bag, and her chest puffed out as she smiled and closed her eyes. “I am the victor!”

          A cat-like grin appeared on Lewis’s face, and Arthur scooted down the middle, out of both of their reach until he was at the edge of the mattress on the other side. He’d seen that look before. He stood and turned just in time to see Lewis push Vivi into her sleeping bag before zipping the top up completely.

          Lewis grinned and began tickling the outside of the bag, which began to squirm wildly. “Surrender!”

          “Never!!”

          Mystery barked and rolled his eyes before trotting away from the two, making his way to the front seat of the van where he laid down on the passenger side. Arthur backed away from the bed towards the rear doors.

          The blue sack was giggling and thrashing. “ _Haha_ Art _ieee_! Lewis is - _hee!-_ stealing my – _ha!_ \- right to escape! Help m _eeeheeheehee hahaha_ -!”

          He gave a short bark of laughter as he flung open the back door of the van. “No way! Lewis would kill me and tell you about it later!” He jumped out and began to trot away. They had parked on the side of the road near a big field. It was perfect.

          Behind him he heard her yell. “Artieee!! Lew, he’s getting away!” He looked back when he heard movement to see Lewis clambering out with a smile, followed by a static-haired and frazzled Vivi a few moments later. He was barefoot and wearing a tank-top and pajama pants, but it was warm and the grass ahead looked soft. He laughed again and started to run, and he smiled when he heard the others pick up speed behind him.

          He could easily get away: he was faster than Lewis, and he had a head start on Vivi, but that wasn’t the point. He laughed as flashes of blue and purple tackled him, and the three of them rolled in the soft grass to a stop.

          They all couldn’t stop giggling. The three of them moved closer together, though Arthur held back until the other two grabbed him and moved him to sit with them. He smiled as he leaned back, looking up at the stars. They were really nice tonight, without any city lights to drown them out. After the others had quieted down, he glanced at them. “Do you think we’ll be like this forever?”

          “Of course! We’re friends for life!” Vivi yelled as she pumped a fist towards the sky.

          “Nothing could separate us, Art. We’re the three amigos.” Lewis smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

          Arthur looked away. He couldn’t tell them how he felt, or he’d lose them, though moments like these made the words bubble up in his throat. He swallowed them away and grinned at his friends. “…Yeah. I’m sure we’ll be together forever.”

          … Or until they found out. Or realized a couple doesn’t need a third wheel…

          The other two both grinned and hugged him closer. He closed his eyes. They didn’t need him. If he told them they would leave, and be better off. Maybe one day he wouldn’t be too damn scared to be honest.

          Suddenly the hands around him began to tickle him and he shrieked out peals of laughter as he tried to crawl away. They were right there though. Like always. Vivi had her Cheshire grin on, yelling, “It’s too good a night to have sad thoughts, Artie! You’ll have to promise to only think happy things for the rest of tonight to be freed!”

          Lewis face matched Vivi’s “You better give up soon, Art. Vi and I know all you’re weak spots…”

          He tried to escape, but then he felt a hand move towards a specific spot on his belly. Oh shit.

          “HAANO no guys! I yield! Lance! No more sad thoughts, I promise, but don’t tickle me there!”

          Lewis paused behind him. “I don’t know, Viv…do you believe him?”

          Arthur heard her humming. “…not for a second.”

          “AAH NO LEw please! HAI’ll buy you an alpAca shirt or SOMething later! Get her instead!”

          Suddenly one pair of offending hands were gone, and Vivi shrieked out an indignant “TRAITOR!” before bursting into shrieks of laughter. Arthur turned back to them. He grinned: he knew _their_ weaknesses too.

          The three of them tussled for a while, before Lewis, in all his mother-hen glory, lifted them up and carried them back to the van. “We all need to get some sleep guys. I want both of you functioning in the morning.”

          “Aww, but _mo_ - _om_ …” Vivi whined as she stuck her lip out in a pout, dangling more droopily in Lewis’s hold.

          “Now now.” Arthur closed his eyes and pointed one finger up daintily. He spoke in a higher voice.  “A young lady ought never raise her voice or whine. You must learn to cook, look pretty, and follow orders without question. That’s the only way you’ll get a man.”

          “Ah yes.” Vivi closed her eyes and nodded sagely. “And a man must be laden with muscles, speak only in grunts, eat whole cows, and chop firewood all day. Sorry, Artie, guess you aren’t a man. It’s okay though! We can share embroidery patterns!”

          “H-hey!”

          “Children.”  Lewis huffed in a deep voice with a smile. He shifted his grip on the two of them. “If you don’t stop bickering I will turn this car around right now and go straight home. Do I make myself clear?”

          “But she’s touching me!” Arthur whined as Vivi laughed.

          “If you stayed on your side I wouldn’t!” The two began playfully poking at one another from in front of Lewis.

          Lewis’s voice shifted back to normal. “Really guys. I’m gonna drop you if you keep wriggling around like that.”

          “Sorry, Lew.” They spoke simultaneously. Both glanced at each other and giggled.

          Lewis sighed. “ _Dios mio_. What will I do with you two?”

          Arthur shrugged. “Drop us off at the pound?”

          “Nah.” Viv grinned at him. “They’d never take you. You’re way too shaggy.”

          “Hey! Take that back!”

          “Never!”

          Lewis looked down at the two of them with exasperation. “Seriously you two. I brought you back to the van to calm down and get some sleep. We have that big job tomorrow, remember?” He dropped them into the back of the van and folded his arms in a paternal fashion.

          Arthur shivered and his smile reversed. Suddenly he felt both heavier and emptier at once. “I still don’t like it guys. C’mon. A creepy cave in the middle of nowhere? Why bother some big bad ghostie when it’s so far away from society? Can’t we just leave it be?”

          “We have to see if we can help it. And what if someone decides to go there, Artie? They might get hurt. If we don’t take care of it, who will?”

          He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “I guess…”

          “Don’t worry, Art. Me and Viv and Mystery will be there in case anything happens. Most of the time spirits just want to be heard.”

          His shoulders felt heavier and he felt another shiver. He knew the feeling.

          “Let’s just try to do it quick as possible. Okay?”

          Vivi squealed and gave him a quick hug before standing. “Adventure awaits! Let’s get to bed so tomorrow comes faster!” She moved to dive onto the mattress, but Lewis grabbed her collar.

          “Nuh uh! We all just rolled around in a dirty, grassy field! And I washed these sheets before we left! We are changing into nice, fresh clothes before we so much as _touch_ that bed.”

          “Aww, Lewlew. Don’t be such a germaphobe.”

          He huffed. “We can’t wash these sheets every day, Viv. They’ll stay clean longer if we don’t go to bed dirty. It’s not germaphobic; it’s sanitary.”

          “What if we did dirty things while in the bed, Lew?” Vivi waggled her eyebrows. “We wouldn’t have to worry then.” Two of her fingers began to climb up his chest.

          Lewis’s face flushed. “VIV!!!”

          “What? Oh don’t worry, Artie can join too~.”

          Arthur spluttered, grabbed his bag, and jumped out of the van as his face began to resemble a tomato at that thought. “NOPE sorry guys I’m outta here. Gonna change.”

          He could hear her laughter ringing out behind him as he hustled farther away.

          ~

          After he changed he shuffled back. Viv was once again blanketed in her cocoon, and Lew was lying next to her, arm thrown over her form. Arthur slipped in quiet as he could, swinging the door closed gently behind him.

          Sitting at the far edge of the mattress, Arthur glanced at them. They looked happy.

          Another shiver ran up his spine. Without him.

          He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Of course they were. They belonged together. He was the odd man out.

          Grabbing the sheet he preferred to sleep under, Arthur curled up as close to the edge as he could. He glanced at them one more time before turning to face the wall. They were both so amazing. And they’d be happier if they didn’t have to put up with his problems. Him always getting in the way. But he loved them. Maybe not enough to let them go, but if things kept going the way they did, one day he’d “love them enough to set them free” or whatever that saying was. He just wasn’t ready yet.

          “FORGET THEM. YOU ARE MINE.”

          His eyebrows rose. He glanced over at the other two. They were both asleep, and quiet dog-snores were coming from the front seat. He must be hearing things.

          He turned towards the wall again and an icy chill ran up his back. God, was the AC on the fritz?! Usually he didn’t get cold like the other two, and the sheet was all he really wanted and needed. It didn’t even feel that chilly. But he kept shivering, like a blast of arctic wind was hitting him squarely in the back. He felt so tired that he had passed beyond exhaustion, and a frown became engraved on his face as his eyes closed. It felt like a weight was resting on top of him that was heavier than just the sheet.

          Suddenly the weight was gone, and a wonderfully warm arm was around his waist, which made him flinch. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the who it was attached to. Lewis was looking at him with a smile. “Afraid we have cooties? C’mon, Artie.”

          He didn’t fight as he was dragged into Lewis’s side. No wonder Lew wasn’t cold because under his blanket he was like a damn furnace. He met the other’s gaze. “…Why?”

          “You looked cold.” Lewis glanced away for a moment before looking back at him with a stern gaze. “You gotta stop whatever it is you’re thinking about. You promised no sad thoughts tonight, remember? If you renege on the deal, I’m gonna be forced to tickle you again, no matter how many things you buy me.”

          Arthur chuckled lowly. “I’m sorry…”

          Lewis sighed. “You don’t have to apologize. You say it a lot and _I swear if you say it right now I will not hesitate to bop you upside the head_. I’m just saying that you have nothing to be sorry for. Just…just try to relax. We aren’t judging you or anything. Let’s just try to get some rest and not think too hard. Remember we care about you, Art. A lot.”

          He nodded. But would they still if they knew how he felt? How he loved them both? No. It might ruin their friendship. Maybe it wasn't wrong to love two people, but that didn't mean they'd love you back.

          He shivered again, and Lewis’s grip tightened. “I thought you were Viv’s knight in shining armor.”

          “I can be both hers and yours.”

          He grinned and shifted until he was comfortable. “You’re funny. G’night Lew.”

          _“Buenas noches, mi corazón.”_

          Arthur yawned and blinked slowly. He was getting good with most languages, but he was still a bit rusty with his Spanish. “…What’d you say, Lewis?”

          “I just said goodnight my friend. We have a lot to do tomorrow, so get some rest.”

          He nodded slowly and let his eyes slip shut. “A’ight.”

          He listened to lulling sound of the Lewis’s heartbeat as he relaxed. Maybe he was wrong before. Maybe they could be friends for life. And maybe…maybe the three of them could be more. He didn’t know for sure, but at least they’d have a good long while to figure it out.


	3. All Those Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another _old_ piece I did. It doesn't quite fit canon, but I'm keeping all my work together. This one...is rather interesting. It's based on an idea in which the other three weren't in time and Arthur ended up dying. Which was an idea someone gave me based on a pic of Arthur's scars I did, wayyy back in the day.
> 
> This one is a little graphic in describing injuries and has plenty of angst and a major character death, so please be warned before you read it!

He wiped his face with his hand. For the most part he liked his job. It was quiet, not a lot of people bothered him, and if he made a mistake…well, the patient was already dead, so there wasn’t a lot they could do about it.

Not to say that there wasn’t anything he disliked: the hours were terrible for his sleep schedule, and if he told anyone he was a mortician they would usually give him a wide berth, which could be lonely at times. But he could live with those parts of the job.

Running a gloved hand through silver hair, he sighed as he looked at the young man’s body on the slab. _This_ was the part of his work he could never get used to.

When the elderly died, it felt as if they had lived their life to the fullest, and it was their time to pass on. When a boy –just barely a man– died, it felt like the loss of so much potential, a life cut far too short.

In age, this victim had barely been more than a child: he didn’t know the exact date of birth of the john doe, but his face and his skin and his dental records were not that of someone who had lived much more than two decades.

Of course, that just made the scars the boy carried all the more frightening.

Gently, he finished suturing the last part of the incision, staring at the body’s left side.

He had seen amputees in his line of work. It was _uncommon_ , but he _had_ seen them. However, for the most part they were clean cuts, where the arm or leg had been removed by the practiced hands of a surgeon. This injury… _mauled_ was the best word to describe it. There were scars, red and angry, that ran patterns along the remainder of the bicep, and in the absence of these lines was white scar tissue that distorted what was left of the arm in thick, ugly layers. The only thing he could imagine leaving behind this kind of damage was an animal attack, or an IED detonation.

The stitches closed now, he traced a large burn scar on the boy’s abdomen with his fingers. This one and the other on his remaining arm almost looked like _handprints_. They looked old, but it made him wonder again at what this boy had gone through in his short life.

Performing one last cursory inspection of the body, he could see other cuts and injuries long since healed. He took in the lines across his throat and wrist, and the cuts that ran along his arms and legs and torso. But the damage that truly made him pause was along his left shoulder, above what was left of his arm. Etched into the skin so harshly that the lines were a deep shade of red was a single word:

_Monster_.

Slowly, he moved his hand along the scar and shuddered. He could feel the rivulets that composed every letter, like inverted braille. There was no doubt this was self-inflicted: the angle of the word and the anger needed to make such deep cuts into the skin was evidence enough, not including the other, thinner scars in places people wouldn’t see. Whatever could make someone so young harm themselves to such a permanent degree must have been horrifying to say the least.

He sincerely wished he hadn’t needed to add more damage to the already broken body. The autopsy incisions were glaring against the too-pale skin, and despite his years in the field, this time they made him feel sick.

He had only done so because he was required to. It wasn’t as if he needed to perform the procedure to know what had killed the john doe.

You tend to die when your heart is cut out.

The place he lived at had been having missing persons reported for the last few months. The victims would be found a few days later, murdered much the same way the boy before him had been. Only recently did it seem those responsible had been stopped. The police had found the place the killers –some kind of cult of deranged lunatics– had been taking their victims to, but the fanatics were long gone by then. The only hint at what had happened was an overturned altar, bullet holes, black tire streaks, and the smell of brimstone. Currently, the mysterious event was the talk of the town.

They had found the boy a day or two afterwards, discarded unceremoniously into a restaurant dumpster. His time of death placed him there at least a day before the cult had fled.

And now he was here, cut open and stitched closed, according to state procedure, with no name and no family to claim him.

He shook his head as he finished placing clay in the ears and nose of the body. When all the openings had been sealed, he slid a sheet over the boy’s body, covering his face.

The boy’s life had been hard enough, it seemed.

And his death hadn’t been kind either.

Sliding the metal slab back into the cooler and closing the door, he pulled off the latex gloves he wore and threw them in the trash bin as he sighed. Yawning, he pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. 4:34. He groaned; he just wanted to go home and forget this night ever happened.

_“Please…Where are they?”_

At the sound of a voice, he started. Lowering his phone, he looked around, but the place was as empty as it had been before.

He chuckled nervously. “Starting to hear things. Need to get some sleep.”

Snapping the main light off, he closed the door behind him and hurried away.

After a moment, the lights in the room flickered back to life. The silence was broken by the humming clicks of the lightbulb as it stuttered between on and off. 

In the corner of the room, curled into a ball, was a small yellow figure. The young man let out a choked whimper as he hugged himself tighter.

“ _Where are they?”_ his voice echoed in the room as his form wavered. “ _Th-they always find me in time…keep me safe. But this time…”_ He stared at his left arm as he lifted it, the wavering line of his mouth trembling harder. _“…They were too late. It doesn’t matter. I just-…I need them. Where are they?”_

_“Please…I don’t- I don’t want to be alone…”_


	4. Role Reversal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite bits of writing I did that could be considered canon for my blog. Wayyy back in September, I headcanoned that Lewis was smaller and pudgier than Arthur when they were kids. And Arthur looked out for him (because an additional headcanon I have is Lance taught Arthur how to fight and defend himself). So here’s a drabble I wrote with that in mind. There's an undercurrent of angst if you think about how Arthur thought Lewis didn't need him anymore, but this was just focusing on the change as a whole. Enjoy! 
> 
> [ Tumblr link](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/129381841006/role-reversal)

Lewis trotted behind Arthur as they walked in silence, trying to keep up with his slightly older friend’s long legs and equally long strides. It wasn’t easy: when Arthur was upset, he walked with more determination and his pace sped up. Even trotting by his side took effort, and Lewis was panting slightly when they finally reached the door to the Peppers’ house.

Even outside, he could already hear how silent the house was, which wasn’t really surprising since his parents had a restaurant to run. With the girls too young for school, they spent work days in the playroom built with access to the restaurant’s kitchen. The Peppers wanted to be the ones to raise their children, not a nanny, and they checked in and played small games with them whenever they could. Usually after school he would go straight to Pepper Paradiso and watch the girls, but not today.

Arthur stood on the front porch, a frown fixed to his face and his arms crossed as he stared at nothing. Lewis ducked his head meekly before fumbling for the key he had and unlocking the door. The moment it opened, Arthur breezed inside, navigating the room with practiced ease. He didn’t look over his shoulder as he called back. “Go sit on one of the stools.”

Sliding the door shut behind him, Lewis followed the order, twiddling his thumbs as he walked. He sat in one of the shorter ones meant for his sisters so Arthur wouldn’t have to stand on his tip-toes to reach.  Arthur was tall for an eighth-grader, the tallest in the class even, but those stools were still awfully high.

After a few moments, Arthur returned, toting a small kit with him. He set it on the counter before undoing the clips and opening it. “Turn to face me, Lewis.” After he had followed through, Lewis watched as Arthur went to the sink and came back with a wet washcloth. He stared and bit his lip as Arthur began to gently dab at his face in silence.

When it finally became too oppressive for him, Lewis sniffed before speaking. “Arthur…a-are you mad at me?”

Arthur blinked in response as he wiped up the last of the blood from Lewis’s split lip. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know...” Lewis replied, looked down at his dangling feet. “You’re being quiet and I don’t like it…I thought maybe I made you mad.”

Arthur took one Lewis’s hands and pressed the washcloth into it, directing it up to cover his swollen eye. “I promise I’m not upset at _you_ , Lew.” He muttered as he shook his head, and his jaw tightened the smallest of degrees. “I’m angry at the guys who did this _to_ you.” Arthur was quiet for a few moments, taking a cotton swap and applying some sort of gel to it before beginning to wipe at his lip. Finally, he spoke again, a slight growl in his tone. “Why…what would make them think this was even _sorta_ okay?”

Lewis wouldn’t meet his eyes and hunched his shoulder. “They said it’s because I dress like a girl.” He mumbled. He began to play with one of the frills on his shirt. “That real boys don’t wear stuff like this. Or play with dolls.”

Arthur frowned. “That’s stupid. Why should it matter what you wear or like to play with? They’re stupid if they think it makes a difference.” He bit out the words angrily, but his hands were still gentle as he cleaned out the scrape on Lewis’s cheek.

“St-…the S-word is bad, Arthur.” Lewis protested. “You might get in trouble for saying it.”

Arthur shrugged in response, dabbing at the end of the scrape before searching through the kit again. “I doubt it, and even if I do, I don’t really care. They deserve to be called something like that for doing this to you.” Removing a band-aid from the box, Arthur pressed it over the scrape and peeled off the cover slip. “When I see them at school tomorrow…”

Lewis looked up from his feet in alarm. “Don’t do anything! I-I don’t want you to get in trouble!”

“And I don’t want them thinking this is okay!” Arthur snapped in response. When Lewis cringed, Arthur’s gaze fell. “…Sorry.”

Arthur had almost finished his work, the silence heavy between them, before Lewis spoke again. “M…Maybe I could tell the teacher…?”

Arthur shook his head in response. “You can, but I don’t know if she’ll get anything done. They never seem to when it comes to bullies. And then those jerks will just come after you for telling on them… You should just let me handle this.” He raised a hand to silence any protests. “I _promise_ that I won’t go looking for a fight. I’ll just talk to them and get them to stop. If they start something, I‘ll defend myself, but I swear I’ll just try and get them to stop without hurting anyone. Maybe if they know they’ll have to go through me, they’ll lay off.”

Lewis looked relieved and nodded. Arthur was the tallest and toughest boy in the class, thanks to his uncle. If he said something to the bullies about stopping, they probably would.

Arthur smiled in response to Lewis’s thankful look before carefully helping him down from the chair. “Now, I’m gonna take care of this kit. Why don’t you let your parents know you’re at home and then maybe we can watch something. Maybe Sailor Moon?” He grinned.

“Are…are you sure you want to watch something so…girly?”

Lewis looked uncertain, and Arthur just gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. “Yep! And it doesn’t mean a thing, Lewis. Watching a cartoon about girls or playing with dolls doesn’t make you a girl. Just like a girl playing sports or watching superhero movies doesn’t make her a boy. And don’t listen to the guys who say otherwise. They’re just-” Lewis shot him a look that said _‘please don’t’_ , and Arthur sighed. “…dumb.”

Lewis smiled, and it seemed to be contagious with the way Arthur matched it with one of his own. “I…I guess you’re right Arthur. Thanks…thanks for helping me. And for being there.” Lewis twiddled his thumbs for a moment, and Arthur just patted his shoulder before pushing the chair back into its original place. He turned to face Lewis with a wide grin.

“Hey Lew, what are friends for?”

><><~><><

Arthur didn’t say much as Lewis carried him, arms slung over Lewis’s shoulders and draped around his neck. He had to be exhausted: the spirit that had possessed him wasn’t malicious by any means, but it had still hijacked his body and then ran off into the woods, insisting on a ‘fun’ game of hide-and-seek. It had taken hours just to track him down, even with Mystery’s keen sense of smell, and it took a while to convince it to leave Arthur and pass on even _after_ they’d found him.

The ghost of the little girl had done so without too much fuss, but the whole night had to have been exhausting for Arthur, and it showed in the limp way he drooped against Lewis’s chest. Lewis was sure that if one of his hands wasn’t holding Arthur up and the other wasn’t on his back to keep him steady, his friend would have fallen at some point since he wasn’t trying to hold on. He took extra care not to trip over raised roots or fallen branches as he walked through the woods, and he was glad there was still some semblance of daylight left, so he could still see the way. The very idea of getting lost in the dark with Arthur in his current state didn’t sit well with him at all.  

Thankfully though, he made it to the van without incident.  Vivi had stayed behind to double-check for any residue of the girl who'd passed over or other lost spirits in the area, but since he had been carrying Arthur, she would be faster to return to the vehicle than he'd been. She and her dog would probably be back any minute, but at least that gave him time to clean Arthur up a little and get him comfortable before they hit the road.

Opening the rear doors with one of his hands, Lewis pulled himself into the back of the van. The blow-up mattress they’d all used the night before was still out, and he gently laid Arthur down on it. This seemed to wake him a little, and Arthur stared up at him with bleary eyes. “Lew…?”

Lewis pulled their first aid kit from one of the drawers Arthur had installed in the van and undid the clasps. “Shh buddy. You’re safe now. You should get some rest.”

Arthur didn’t seem to hear him. “Were you an…an’ Vivi out all night…?”

Lewis pulled out a few baby wipes and began to clean some of the patches of dirt from Arthur’s hands and cheeks. “Yeah. We had to find you and the ghost, didn’t we?” Lewis smiled before running the wipe over Arthur’s hands, clearing away all the grime the poor guy was dusted with. The little girl didn’t seem to realize humans were fragile and could be damaged. She was lucky Arthur was fairly flexible, or the hollow of the tree she’d chosen to hide in could’ve done some serious damage to his body.

Arthur frowned and blinked sleepily. “Y-you guys shoulda…shoulda gotten some rest first. Came back and found me in the morning…You have to be exhausted.”

Lewis sighed and pulled out a tube of Neosporin.  He added a bit to some cotton balls and began to dab it onto the scratches along Arthur’s arms, likely from scraping along thorns and bark. “Finding you was a bigger priority, Arthur. You’re our friend and we couldn’t leave you out there like that. Besides, once Vivi gets here we’ll head out and find a hotel for us all to sleep at or something. It won’t be much longer, so don’t you worry.”  He smiled at Arthur and tilted him gently this way and that, searching for any injuries he might have overlooked. Once satisfied, Lewis packed up the kit and put it away before beginning to shift Arthur in the bed.

He had just positioned Arthur into a more comfortable place and slid a pillow beneath his head when Arthur’s hands reached up and grabbed the front of his vest. Lewis glanced down in surprise, but his face softened at the look of fear on the other’s own.

Arthur released him and sniffed for a moment. “I…Thank you. F-for not leaving me. I…” He trailed off, as if searching for the words to better express himself with.

But Lewis knew exactly how he felt. He pulled one of the blankets on the bed over to cover his friend before running a hand through and smoothing out Arthur’s hair with a warm smile. He could hear crashing through the woods outside, signaling the return of Vivi and Mystery, but he still took the time to give one of Arthur’s shoulders a light squeeze before murmuring softly to his half-asleep friend.

“Anytime, Art. What are friends for?”


	5. A Snowball's Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet thing I wrote as a prompt. It was cute and fun to write
> 
> Just a bit of Vithur Fluff
> 
>  
> 
> [ Link to Tumblr ](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/138156879771/dont-you-dare-throw-that-snowba-goddammit)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _“Don’t you dare throw that snowba-, goddammit!”_

Vivi was examining one of her mittens and trying really hard not to smile, but it was hard as Arthur turned around, his shoulders still tense and rigid as he looked at her. He still had snow frosting the back of his head and the tips of his hair from where the ‘mysterious’ snowball had come from. and some of it had already slipped into the folds between his vest and shirt to run down his back in icy streaks. She looked at Arthur as he stared at her and couldn’t help the smirk that played across her face. “What’s the matter, Artie~?”

 Arthur didn’t answer her. He shook out the snow from his vest and t-shirt, because even in the dead of winter her and Mystery couldn’t get him to wear anything else, and he licked his lips and rolled his shoulders before tugging on the too-big orange brown gloves her wore to make his hands sit better inside them. Then he crouched down. 

Vivi watched him for a moment before what he was doing clicked. “Oh no Artie. No. No. _No-_.” She kept repeating, each time with a little more force as he gathered snow into his hands and created a decent sized ball, about a little bigger than a baseball. He apparently wasn’t listening because when he stood he rolled it back and forth between his palms and the widest of grins split his face. 

Vivi glowered at him. “Arthur Kingsmen, don’t you _dare_  throw that snowba-” She cut off as she heard a _paff_ ing sound and her face was suddenly very cold, the ball made of soft snow that only left a little cold sting to her forehead and exploded into powdery flakes on the impact. “-God _dammit_!”

It didn’t hurt, but she never liked the cold, and now there was powdery snow in her scarf and built up in front of her glasses like mini drifts that made it hard for her to see, and the second she lifted them to clear it away the snow fell and plopped down her face and _into_ her shirt and bra. 

Ooooh, Arthur was going to regret that.

Arthur laughed at her reddening face from the cold and as her back arched when the cold hit skin, and he threw his weight onto one hip and his hand on the other. “Why Vivi, that’s so rude-!” His voice was dripping with smugness. “Geez, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” She started to run after him and he darted away, laughing as she gave chase.

“You’re one to talk, mister!” she shot back with a huff. “And just you wait until I catch you!” She scooped up a handful of snow as she ran and pelted him with it, grinning wider as she heard him laugh. “You’ll be shaking snow out of your clothes for days!”

“Good luck with that-!” He called behind him. “I’ve seen your aim when I’m paying attention, and I think it’s going to be _you_ who ends up as the ice queen!”

“Why don’t we test that! Get back here and eat snow!” she yelled as she threw another paltry ball at him, grumbling as he ducked it easily. 

Oh, when she caught him, revenge was going to be _sweet._


	6. Vivi no

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one I'm iffy on, but I still like it. Another Vithur I was prompted for. I don't think Arthur would really enjoy being tied up if he's the Daphne of the group, but it was a short prompt. Hope people enjoy it.

“Are you sure you want to do this…?” Arthur murmured into his radio. It ended the question with a sound between a click and a blip as he pulled his finger off the switch.

_“Of course! Are you backing out on me Artie? You said it was a great idea earlier-!”_ Vivi’s cheery voice came through the receiver and Arthur chuckled and shook his head.

“Um, I’m pretttyyy sure I said it was a terrible one, Vi.” He replied. “But I knew that after he messed with your food you were going to get him back one way or another. I figured help would make your plan _actually_ work.”

_“Darn right! No one messes with my food! That dog is going dow- hey wait-!”_

Arthur laughed at her indignant noise before quieting to a whisper and holding down the button on the walkie-talkie to silence her protests. “Hey wait….I think I heard him come in. Do you see him?”

_“Yeah.”_ Her voice came in muted and breathy. _“He’s headed to your side of the room. I don’t think he suspects anything.”_

Arthur smiled “Good. Is everything all ready to go…?”

_“Yeah. Just need our favorite pooch and we’re all set.”_

Arthur nodded before remembering she couldn’t see him. “Okay Wait for the signal. When you feel that rope tug, don’t hesitate to activate the trap. He might move if we wait too long.”

_“Roger Artie. I love when you take command like this, by the way~.”_

Arthur rolled his eyes before glancing over the couch as subtly as he could. He still didn’t see Mystery anywhere in the room, but Vivi said he was coming this way. The only thing there was the places where he’d hidden and covered the snare that’d start the trap.  Why wasn’t he here yet?

After another few minutes, Arthur hummed and glanced over the couch again. He still didn't’ see him and he lifted his radio up. “Vivi…? Did he come this way. I didn’t see him…”

_“I don’t know what to tell you then Artie. He went that way and he hasn’t come back.”_

“Well then-” He cut off when he heard a sound and crouched back down lower. “-hang on…” He cut off the feed and looked up again, only to be met with an empty room. He let out a frustrated sigh, only to freeze when someone cleared their throat behind him.

Arthur shot up when he met red eyes through amber glasses. “M-mystery! What are you doing back here?”

Mystery was smirking and took a step forward. “I heard something back here, of course. What are _you_ doing, is the real question.”

Arthur wiped at his pants and took a step back for every one Mystery took forward. “I-I was…was…just looking for a tool I lost. I think one of the deadbeats nabbed it-!” God, he was an _awful_ liar under pressure.

Mystery stopped and looked up at him. “Mmhmm…” He replied. His tone belied that -unsurprisingly- he didn’t believe him at all.

“I think you and the others sometimes forget how good my hearing is.” Mystery continued after a moment, examining the nails on one of his paws before stretching down to the floor. “I usually tune most things out, but i can pick out a quiet conversation in an empty room quite easily.”

Arthur tilted his head and licked his lips. He had a feeling he knew what was Mystery trying to say. But couldn’t the dog just be straightforward and _say_ what he wanted to? Though he supposed he wouldn’t live up to his namesake if he did that.

Mystery chuckled and shook his head with a slight jingle from his collar when it seemed Arthur didn’t quite get the point he was trying to make. He just smiled at him before grabbing the rope lying on the floor between his teeth, quirking his eyebrows, and then giving it a hard yank.

Arthur’s eyes widened as everything clicked, and when he followed Mystery’s eyes downward he had enough time to process the snare coiled around his left foot before he fell to all fours from the force of its pull with a squawk. The rope continued to pull and he looked up in surprise for a second at Mystery, who was doing a little wave with a smug smile, before he was yoinked out from behind the couch and out of sight.

~

Vivi was not ashamed to admit she squealed when she felt the tug and set of the trap. She caught Mystery, and while she wasn’t sure entirely what she was going to do with him yet, she knew he’d end up regretting messing with her food. Adding spices to her meal was a _major_ no-no in her book. Sure, she’d pranked him first, but it was to get back at him for his prank before that! Although…that was revenge for an earlier prank from her. But-

…

Huh. Now that she tried to think of of it, she wasn’t entirely sure _who_ had started this. But at least she knew _she_ was going to finish it.

With a smile, Vivi rubbed her hands together and walked into the next room Arthur and the trap and Mystery were in. She paused in the doorway, however, when she was met with an interesting sight to say the least.

The mechanism had been designed like a bear-trap. It was supposed to hook around Mystery’s leg and hoist him into the air. A few other ropes had been set to spring when that one moved into position to further tie the dog up, but not painfully tight. Just enough that he couldn’t wriggle free. Her plans had been something along the lines of a bath or something that he couldn’t escape. Maybe a temporary hair dye to turn him bright pink for a few days.

What she walked in on instead, was Mystery using a paw to make a upside-down-and-wrapped-up Arthur rotate in slow circles, seemingly deaf to his protests as Arthur’s face turned red with the blood rushing there. He looked up and saw Vivi and his face changed to a pleading one, turning to keep her in sight as he wriggled slightly. “Vivi-! Tell Mystery to help get me down!” He almost whined and when Mystery chuckled in response he turned a glare on the dog.

Vivi barely stifled a giggle before coming over and tugging experimentally at one of the ropes. It was loose enough she could get her hand inside between Arthur and the rope, but it was fairly strong beyond that. After all, it was meant to keep Mystery from getting out. The easiest way to get him out would probably be to cut them off of him. She sighed before turning a sour look on Mystery. “This was supposed to be you, Mystery.” She pouted as she spoke.

Mystery shrugged in response. “I caught wind of it early. Heard you and then him on the radios, and figured I’d pull a prank of my own.” He chuckled. “However… I also thought I’d get two birds with one stone.” When Vivi tilted her head at him in confusion, he ducked his own. “I shouldn’t have touched your food, Vivi. That was a step too far. And I would like to end this feud of sorts before it goes any farther.”

Vivi crossed her arms, but glanced at him. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Mystery took a deep breath. “Firstly, I’d like to apologize for my last prank. It went too far, as I said. I would like to end this, but i know you well enough that perhaps you require more than an apology.”

“Look, I’m glad you guys are having this touching moment and all.” Arthur spoke up. “It’s great and all that you’re finally ending this prank war, but could one of you _please_ _cut me down??”_

“Actually…” Mystery glanced at him and then Vivi. “….I thought my bit on addition to the apology would be…this.” He gestured with his paw to the still upside down Arthur. “When i heard you I chose to sneak the snare behind him and wrangle him for you. I figured you might enjoy having one of your boys stuck with you. And since Arthur was the one conspiring against me with you…well, i figure it makes us even, and maybe he’ll think twice in the future.”

Vivi looked thoughtful as she looked at Mystery and then Arthur before breaking out in a wide grin. “It’s a deal then! Truce!” Mystery chuckled when she extended a hand before lifting up a paw and shaking.

“Wh-what hey!” Arthur wriggled again. “Vivi this wasn’t the plan!”

“Yeah but _this_ is even better! I’m counting it as a rousing success~.” She grinned down at him before smooching his cheek. “Besides, _you_ were the one that told me my plan was terrible. I think I need to get you back for that.” She almost purred.

Arthur blamed the fact that his face was beet-red on the fact that was upside down. “Come one Viviii.” He whined. “At least let me down so the blood stops pooling in my head. I’m starting to get a headache…”

Vivi hummed but finally conceded. She didn’t want Arthur uncomfortable, after all. “I’ll give you that. But-! On one condition.” She stooped slightly to meet his eyes and grinned. “You have to give me a spider-man kiss.”

Arthur gave her a flat stare. “Really?”

“Yep! That’s my offer! I mean, how often will I get a chance like this?” She nodded enthusiastically, and Arthur sighed before giving her an almost bashful smile.

“Alright. This is gonna be weird but anything for you, Vi. Just don’t forget to get me down after, okay?”

Vivi squealed before standing up again and clapping her hands together for a moment and positively beaming at him, which made his face somehow darker and drew a laugh and a smile from him. She leaned down and pressed their lips together gently, humming as she did.

Arthur was right, of course. It was strange having him upside down in the kiss. Their noses didn’t touch or bump, but that made it that much harder to nuzzle him during the smooch too. And mouths felt weird upside down. Plus when she opened her eyes she didn’t see his. Just his chin. And his beard tickled her brow and forehead whenever he shifted his jaw in the kiss.

She wasn’t about to say it was a bad kiss, though. And smooches from her boys were amazing and wonderful in their own right, and it was still a great kiss. But now she knew she preferred her boys right-side up. But she wasn’t complaining. Either way, she’d gotten a kiss (and she never promised to untie him when she cut the rope holding him up) and was happy. And hopefully there was more where that came from too.

She smiled when she pulled away and pecked both of his reddened cheeks. “Well, now I know if I like spider-man kisses. An excellent experiment I wouldn’t mind ever repeating~.” She winked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “W-well then i say you should try it with Lewis. I’m getting seriously woozy up here. I think Mystery’s spinning did _not_ help anything.”

Vivi nodded. “Right. Let’s get you down.” She paused for a moment though, and hummed. “Just….one more second.” From her pocket, a cell phone appeared and Arthur wriggled more in the rope.  
  
“Are you seriously taking a picture of this?” He gave a halfhearted glare.

“Of course!” Vivi replied with a grin. “I have to immortalize this moment, Artie! Annndd maybe send a picture to our boyfriend.”

She laughed as Arthur grumbled but didn’t argue. “Just hurry it up…”

The camera made a whoosh sound as it went off, and she inspected it before nodding. “This one is good. Just gotta send it to Lew…” She paused and giggled with a smirk after a moment.

“Wait. I wanna give him a hint before I send it! Is there an emoji for bondage?” She waggled her eyes at Arthur.

In response, he groaned and let his head fall back. “Vivi _no_.” 

All he was met with was more of her bright laughter, and couldn’t help but smile at the sound.


	7. Valentine's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the ones I liked more. It came out before Freaking Out, which changed my thought-line from the previous 'Vivi doesn't remember the cave but remembers Lewis' to 'Vivi forgot Lewis altogether'. So it's not perfectly canon, but I still really like it. Another one that's short and sweet.

Vivi was sitting alone. Not that he was surprised. Today was usually special, but…well,  the person who usually made it special for her was gone now. His fault, of course, but for right now, he couldn’t think about that. Vivi was the focus.

The bag he was carrying rustled as he sat down next to her. She was holding a small photo of her and Lewis, her thumb moving to brush over the man’s face. Arthur swallowed and forced himself to look away, running a hand through his hair when he heard her small sniff.

It was quiet between them for a few moments, Arthur just making sure he was there for her while she sat in silent remembrance. Finally though, She turned her head to see him and forced a smile on her face. “H-hey Artie…” She wiped at her nose. “W-what’s up? Y-y-ou…you got something there…?”

Arthur watched her and nodded after a moment. “Yeah… I do.” He shuffled his feet on the floor before setting the bag on his lap with a rustle. “I know today is usually a bigger celebration for you and stuff. And I’m…sorry it’s not. B-but I figured I’d still do something small.”

She looked at him in surprise. Maybe it was because for a while now he’d avoided doing things that might be looked at the wrong way. Sleeping in the same bed or small gestures like holding hands. He was just trying to get away from any feelings, but celebrating Valentine’s Day alone was not something he wanted her to do after so long with Lewis always doing something, even before they were dating.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a small box of chocolates. “I know it’s not much, but I also know how much you love that one store’s truffles, so I got you some.” He hesitated again before reaching into the bag and pulling out a card. It was homemade and looked it, crinkled and bent from where he’d pushed too hard or made a mistake. On the center was a glued-on heart with the logo for the Mystery Skulls, slightly off-center.

“It’s kind of lame I know.” Arthur spoke with a shrug as he passed it to her and she looked down at it. “But….Happy Valentine’s Day, Vivi.”

She had opened the card, and was reading over what he’d written (slowly, so it was legible), and he knew she’d gotten to his pun when she let out a wet laugh. He cracked a small smile and watched her shake her head. “God Arthur, that was terrible. But…” She sniffed again and hugged the card to her chest. “It was perfect. I love it so much, Artie. Thank you.”

“Anytime Vivi.” He answered, and hesitated before pulling her into a hug. She tensed this time before curling up and wrapping her arms around his neck and sniffling harder. He could hear her quiet murmur of ‘I miss him so much…’ and he held her tighter, rubbing at her back gently in a show of comfort.

He wished Lewis could have been the one to give her something. He wished Lewis was still here to hold her and tell her how much he loved her like he had their first year together, and make that same promise of doing the same for her next year. But he couldn’t anymore.

But like hell was Arthur going to let her be alone instead. She was his best friend, and feelings be damned if he was going to leave her to suffer and mourn without doing his best to make her feel even slightly better in some way.

He wouldn’t be her best friend if he didn’t.


	8. Getting the Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the stories I wrote that I liked. I tried experimenting with cues which was pretty interesting. For this story, it's important to listen to the spots that are linked with sounds. The second one is louder than the first, so please be wary of your volume! 
> 
> I hope you like it!

“How are things looking from your end, Artie?” Vivi stood on a chair so she could reach the older mantle of the fireplace in the room they were set up in, placing and angling a camcorder in a position that would capture the whole area.

“S’fine.” Arthur mumbled from beneath a table. He was on his back, tying some cords to keep them neat and plugging them in. “The computer should have audio and visuals shortly.”

“Oh good!” She’d expected it to take longer for them to set up in the abandoned house, but Arthur knew what he was doing. She really shouldn’t have been surprised. “Mystery said he was checking out the perimeter, but he should be back soon.”

“Got it.” Arthur nodded before getting up with a grunt and wandering over to one of the corner tables. An aged record player sat on top, the needle long-lost, and a few vinyl disks both in and out of paper slips were stacked neatly next to it. Arthur lifted one of them up and blew off the dust before taking his shirt and wiping away the rest. “This place has got some pretty vintage stuff. It’s cool.” They had plenty of time before things needed to get underway for the investigation. A little small-talk might be nice.

“I know, right?” Vivi beamed and hopped off the chair with a small jump. Her shoes made a small bang and then a click as they connected with the floor, and she moved to check out some of the records next to him. “All this stuff is pretty awesome to see! I remember when my dad had one of these.” She lifted up an AC/DC Vinyl. “You should give this to Uncle Lance.”

Arthur laughed. “I’d be hearing Back in Black or something constantly for weeks. No thank you. Besides, these aren’t really up for grabs. They belong to the proprietor.’’

The guy had bought the place planning to refurbish it and sell it along with the stuff that had been left behind. From what they could tell, the ghost he was dealing with they had been called in about was the last owner, who’d passed away and whose stuff still occupied the house. At first they had assumed it had been a long time ago, but it turned out he had been a collector of anything he could get his hands on from that particular era and had only died a year prior. With the impending moving and dispersing of his collection and disturbing the older house, he had become active and, as a result, the Mystery Skulls gang had found themselves a case. So far they’d figured out he showed the most activity after dark, so now they were just playing the waiting game.

“Maybe if we ask the owner guy first or something, though.” He added. “He might be grateful enough for the help to let you keep something.”

“Good idea!” Vivi agreed “but while we’re waiting for our ghost to show, we can poke around and see if there’s anything worthwhile.”

Arthur shrugged. “Sure. Just be careful not to break anything.” He chuckled when her response was to roll her eyes.

He had to admit there was some pretty cool stuff in here. Most of it were things he didn’t recognize or only remembered growing up around vaguely, but he had fun sifting through everything. He ended up playing pinball on one of the old machines, while Vivi sorted through old clothes, and eye-wear that definitely made her own pair look normal.

Vivi ended up finding an ascot amongst the clutter and taking an immediate liking to it though she only vaguely knew why. When she showed it to Arthur, he smiled and told her the story about Lewis getting his first one in high school with her, and while she’d heard the story before, she didn’t stop the retelling, listening with her own soft smile to him talk and staring at the fabric while he messed with a laptop he’d found.

When he finished speaking, she glanced his way and fumbled with the cloth in her hand. “Do you think we could ask for this?” She held up the ascot so he could see it better.

Arthur smile was warm. “Of course, Vi. We’ll give it to Lewis when we find him.”

She was about to respond when the laptop started to scream “-oin’ OhOWNN!” and the two of them both jumped.

Arthur grabbed the corner of the lid and lifted it to get a better angle before laughing and tapping the spacebar, the sound stopping as he did. He turned the computer towards her. “I got it to turn on, and I guess the guy left it in standby.”

On the screen was a ‘10 hour’ video of a song she knew well, if the appearance of he-man with rainbow colors in the background was any indicator. “Oh my god. He was a meme! A ghost after your own heart, Artie!”

Arthur made a _pfft_ noise and shook his head with a roll of his eyes. “He’d have to use hamster dance if he wanted to win _me_ over.”

“Ahhh, of course.” Vivi laughed. “Silly me.” She spat out her tongue.

Arthur chuckled, but before he really had a chance to reply, Mystery trotted into the room. “I’m glad to see the two of you are having fun.” There was sincerity in his tone as he adjusted the glasses on his nose. “However…it is starting to get late now. Perhaps we should attempt to contact our resident ghost?”

“Ha. Yeah. Right.” Arthur looked sheepish, and Vivi excited as they followed Mystery back into the main room they planned to contact the ghost in, Arthur stashing the laptop under his arm.

A small table had been set up in the middle of the room with a few candles on top to make it so they could see, but leaving the place dim enough that the spirit wouldn’t be too nervous to present itself. Arthur moved to man the camera and keep an eye on the room through the ones that would pick up changes in the atmosphere of the room. If he saw any cold spots appear on thermal, he’d know where to look for him to see their ghost..

Vivi sat at the table where a board had been set up, and Mystery sat at her side. “Uh….hello? Anyone here?”

The lights flickered for a second in answer, and Arthur shot her a silent thumbs up.

“Okay. I guess you’re here.” Vivi nodded. “Can we see you?”

When no answer came, she nodded. “What about hear you?” The lights flickered a little, but no voice suddenly broke the quiet. Vivi hummed. “Well…is there some way you can tell us why you’re still here?”

“You have to know that You can’t stay and keep your things together forever, right?” Arthur asked himself, and the candles flickered again, but there was no answer. Arthur whipped his head, however, when the laptop he’d booted up before came out of the idling mode it had entered and a document came up. Words started to appear on the screen and he gestured the other two over.

_‘I understand. As long as my things pass into good hands and aren’t simply discarded, I accept they must change. I do have one last request. Then it’s time to move on.’_ The words tapped themselves out on the keyboard, and the other three exchanged a look.

“What kind of request?” Vivi asked. The laptop remained stationary for a few moments before it whirred and more words made their way on to the document.

_‘I want to share my last message. I lived alone. I only wanted to give it to someone before I crossed. But the man wouldn’t listen.’_

Arthur had to admit that the info they’d been given hadn’t described a particularly vengeful ghost. And sometimes they just wanted to be heard. But pretty much every time, people were too afraid to hear them out. “Well…we’re here. You can tell us, right?”

“Yeah!” Vivi grinned. “We’ll get that message wherever you’d like us to.”

_‘It goes to no one. It is just the last thing I wish to do with my life and afterlife. I can rest easy knowing it’s been fulfilled.’_

“Then we’ll do our best.” Vivi replied, and the screen blinked off. A few moments later, a heavy thumping played in rhythm like a heartbeat of bass, and the record player still in the corner began to spin on it’s own. [Slowly, as if the distance was far, music and a voice began to almost-sing, the words drawn out so far they were garbled and unintelligible.](http://gdurl.com/gZqW)

Vivi waited until it began to fade off again before blinking and letting a frown slide one. “We… sorry, but I have no idea what you said.”

The laptop page flickered to life once more. ‘ _The meaning isn’t given. It must be found.’_ A moment later, one of the computers Arthur had set up in the room earlier lit up, and the recorded file of the audio pulled itself up. ‘ _You’ll know it when you find it.’_

~

That ghost wasn’t very helpful, Arthur decided. If he’d wanted them to decipher his cryptic bullshit, he should’ve given them a better hint! It had already been two days, and he still had no idea what it’d been trying to say. He’d at least left the house alone after and they’d been given some reimbursement (and the ascot Vivi wanted). But even using some limited voice software and speeding up the recording had gotten him nowhere: now it just sounded like faster gibberish than before. The whole thing was starting to drive him up the wall.

Vivi walked in and set a plate of nachos in front of him before plopping into a chair beside him. He pulled off one headphone so he could talk to her if she wanted in response, frowning as he adjusted the volume. “I still can’t get anything from this ‘message’. It sounds like the guy is speaking in tongues.”

“Maybe he is.” She joked, before grabbing a chip from the plate and chowing down. “Maybe he just wanted to annoy one last person before he passed on or something by making something up on the fly.”

“I doubt it…” Arthur replied, staring at the screen. “I mean, even if he just wanted to make us go crazy looking over what he said, if he was waiting as long as he was and it’s the one thing he stayed to do, I think he would’ve put effort into it than that. More than it being random, anyway.”

“You’re probably right.” Vivi shrugged and snagged another chip. “But maybe you need to take a step back and look at it again later? The audio isn’t going anywhere. And maybe some time away will give you a fresh perspective?” She nudged the plate towards him.

Arthur rubbed at his face. “I don’t know if there’s really any angles left. I raised the volume and looked for any underlying messages. Same with lowering it. I sped it up, slowed it down compressed it, equalized it….I’m not sure what else I can really mess with without changing it too much.”

Vivi patted his leg. “You’ll figure it out, Artie. You’re smart.” She smiled at him and he returned it after a moment. He turned to the computer and created another copy of the original file to edit, and Vivi watched, leaning back in her chair.

It was quiet for a few minutes, Arthur sporadically checking the audio and clicking the play button, only to frown a little more each time when what came out of his headphones was still as unintelligible as it was before. Vivi watched and ate from the plate of nachos before letting out a giggle.

“You know what’d be funny?” She smiled as he turned to glance at her and pulled the headphones off his ears. “If this was like Gravity Falls.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Well you remember that one episode right? The one with Robbie using that subliminal messaging in his love song on Wendy?” She asked. “They just had to play it backwards and stuff and there was a hidden message.”

Arthur stared at her blankly for a few moments before his face split into a grin. “Holy shit, Viv. You’re a genius.”

“I know.” She laughed. “But why this time?”

“Because…” He spoke, but his tone was distracted and slow as he fiddled with the setting on the screen. “…that is one thing I didn’t try.”

“Whattt?” She grinned wider, her face a dramatic expression of shock with even a little gasp escaping to complete the act. “Mr. Brainiac didn’t think of _that_?”

“It slipped my mind.” He grumbled in response. “Come on, man, I’ve been working at this or at the shop for two days now. Can’t think of _everything_ , can I?”

Vivi laughed again, louder this time. “Well I guess I’m glad to help then.” She watched him shift the earpiece back over his head and press a button, and practically immediately confusion lit up his features. He started adjusting a few more menus, and Vivi watched curiously. “Is something wrong, Artie?”

He shook his head. “No, I just….” He paused as he hit play again and then his eye widened. Is this-…Well…shit.”

“What? What is it?” She leaned further out of her seat and looked at the screen, as if that might give her a clue as to what he was hearing.

Arthur had pinched the bridge of his nose. “…I’m just going to unplug the headphones so you can hear it.”

Reaching down and disconnecting the jack, Arthur moved to mouse over the play option.[ A glance at her and Vivi’s corresponding nod were all he needed to press the play button. The same music as before began to play in the room over the speakers of the computer (louder since he had compressed it),](http://gdurl.com/n-jG) and Arthur could only look at her and wait for her reaction. Vivi stared with wide eyes as that tune picked up, and then burst out laughing. “…Oh my god!”

“Yep.” Arthur nodded before he laughed and shook his head. “That ghost freaking rickrolled us.”

Even as he said it, he swore he could hear faint laughter behind them, but he couldn’t be positive. It seemed to fade out as soon as it came.


	9. My Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ship is OT3 here, with a definite emphasis on Lewthur
> 
> I wrote this back in May as a prompt for symbols someone sent in. The story was meant to be set in the rain, with the muse for Lewis singing to him and kissing Arthur. So...here we are! I feel a little weird posting it here because I think someone else used the same song a short time after I posted the story for something MSA related, but I want all my works together and it was too cute to me to pass up. So here's a mini disclaimer the other story is unrelated, wherever it may be. Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> [ Tumblr Link ](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/144491277966/sends-three-but-you-can-choose-which-one-to)

Arthur wasn’t in the best condition. He was awake, but not fully coherent. When he’s seen the wooden walkway and heard it creak beneath Vivi’s feet, he’d heard the snap of wooden boards. Without thinking twice, his hands moved to push her away from that spot, which was fortuitous if you asked him. 

After all, when the supports had broken and the walkway began to crumble, only he fell instead of the both of them.

It hadn’t been a long fall, but it wasn’t as short as he wished, either. He crashed hard on wooden planks and beams, and more came down on top of him, thankfully without Vivi or Mystery as well. The last thing he’d remembered thinking was that Lewis must have gotten to them, and he let out a wheezing noise of relief, the pressure from the boards atop him making it hard to breath or move. They gave way again to fall a little more after enough weight on them. During the second short fall, something had hit his forehead. 

He didn’t remember much after that.

The next time he was actually coherent, there were arms around him, holding him by the underside of his legs and his back, his head lolled against the shoulder of whoever was carrying him. 

And he’d recognize Lewis anywhere, by his touch and feeling alone.

Something else was plinking on his vest too in a steady rhythm and wet was on his face, his hair slicked down with water too. something warm thicker than the rest was running it’s own trail amongst the cool water, but he didn't’ have enough conscious capacity to really focus on it. 

Arthur shifted slightly in Lewis’s grip and he felt a small squeeze in response. He couldn’t draw the energy to form words though, and his head still hung limp. Lewis’s vest wasn’t on him like usual when he was in human form. Cracking open one eye he could see it draped over himself.

Lewis always was a gentleman, wasn’t he?

The ghost continued to hold him as he walked. He wanted to ask where Vivi and Mystery were, but he failed to find his voice yet again. The rain started coming down harder, like buckets on the both of them. Lewis’s hand lifted to touch his cheek as if to shield his face from the rain and move some hair from his eyes. There was a faint sting and when Lewis pulled his hand away, there was red on it. His own blood. 

He wondered how bad he looked. With the soreness he felt, probably not good. But there was still a warm glow in his chest. He’d saved Vivi.

Something dragged him back to the present. It took him a few moments to realize that Lewis was humming, the rumble vibrating on him in Lewis’s pleasing baritone voice. 

_“You are my sunshine,_  
_My only sunshine,_  
_You make me happy,_  
_When skies are grey…”_

Lewis’s voice blended so beautifully with the rain. It wasn’t too deep, but it was rich and low right now, compared to the high of the pounding or rain on their clothing as he walked. 

_“You’ll never know, dear,_  
_How much I love you._  
_Please don’t take my sunshine away…”_

It wasn’t tears on Arthur’s face. It was the rain. A hand touched his jaw and a thumb grazed his cheek. He closed his eyes as his lips trembled.

_“The other night, dear,_  
_As I lay sleeping_  
_I dreamed I held you in my arms…”_

The arms around him tightened slightly and he felt Lewis lean his face into his own hair. He swore there was a kiss planted, but he wasn’t sure. It couldn’t be though. It was just wishful thinking, right…?

_“When I awoke, dear,_  
_I was mistaken_  
_And I hung my head and cried.”_

Just rain, not tears. Lewis was just trying to comfort him. That’s why his voice was cracking so much. 

_“You are my sunshine,_  
_My only sunshine._  
_You make me happy_  
_When skies are grey…_ ”

He wasn’t sure he could handle the feelings boiling over in his chest and the butterflies flittering in his heart and lungs anymore, threatening to escape in a colorful flurry should he open his mouth. Blearily, Arthur opened his eyes.

_“You’ll never know, dear,_  
_How much I love you._  
_Please don’t take my sunshine away…”_

Lewis shifted him tighter against his chest and stroked beneath his eye one last time before removing his hand. Arthur missed the warmth already. The last line Lewis whispered.

_“…Please don’t take my sunshine away.”_

Arthur watched as Lewis leaned down, his lips already moved to plant a kiss on his forehead, but after that song and Lewis’s gentle and small touches, and maybe a bit from the soreness and the feeling of a concussion riding his consciousness, Arthur craned his neck so Lewis’s lips met his own instead, a hand moving to clutch at the warm strands of Lewis’s hair and pull him down further so he could kiss him better, blinking rapidly as his eyes fluttered shut.


	10. Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small fic I did for an AU I made back in June last year. I call it the DoubleTrouble!AU.
> 
> What if one thing changed that night in the cave?
> 
> What if Arthur reacted faster to the possession?
> 
> WARNING: Character Death (could be considered suicide?), Not so happy Ending

He could feel the cold creeping up his arm with a numbness he knew too well.

Arthur _thought_ something bad was in here, and he _knew_ how easy he was to possess after one of their nastier run-ins with a cult. He should’ve been more prepared. He opened his mouth to call out to Lewis, who was currently peering over the ledge just ahead, but he couldn’t. This ghost-spirit-whatever- thing was _fast_. 

Taking a few deep breaths, he tried not to panic. This had all happened before. It was uncomfortable and _claustrophobic_ , but once the ghost said its piece, it’d move on and he’d be fine. It’d all be okay.

And then his arm began to move towards Lewis’s back.

The panic immediately spiked. Arthur couldn’t wrench the offending arm away. It kept moving and _oh god he could feel whatever this was and what it wanted. It was going to **kill** his best friend!_

He _couldn’t_ let that happen!

 Dipping his right leg sharply, the other half of his body stumbled from the sudden loss of balance. Arthur pushed at the intrusive entity within himself with white-hot rage for even _considering_ hurting Lewis. His own soul was weak, but the need to protect what he loved was a powerful thing. It kept the possession only within the left half of his body, but the spirit was still inching ever so slowly over to his right side. Hopefully he’d have the time to get away. If he wasn’t near the cliff, then nothing would happen to Lewis and maybe they could stop _whatever_ this thing was. Arthur tried to take a step backwards towards the bifurcation of the tunnel.

But the spirit seemed adamant on pushing Lewis. It propelled the blond forward again, and Arthur barely had time to grab his own wrist and yank it away before it touched his friend. The arm made another lunge for the man, and Arthur could feel his control slipping. He wouldn’t be able to stop it much longer, and he didn’t have time to go back down the tunnel. Lewis would **_die_** if he didn’t do something.

 There was only one option he could think of.

Wordlessly, he twisted the final propulsion of his possessed side off course.

Right towards the ledge.

Lewis turned to face him with a wide smile . “Hey, um, Arthur…Vivi and I have been talking and we were wondering something. I…this is hard, but-”

He cut off with a surprised cry as the blond pushed past him, only for his eyes to widen in horror as the mechanic kept going. Lewis reached out to catch him, but his hand only grasped air, and now Arthur was falling down, _down_ , _d o w n,_ until-

**_“ARTHUR!!!”_ **

Arthur reached the bottom as he heard the scream from above. Right now though, all he could really focus on was the numbness slowly trying to leave, and the fact that the ground wasn’t coming to meet him anymore. He was still several inches away from it: why wasn’t it getting closer?

His ears were ringing (why were they ringing?), but a scream, higher in pitch and so unlike the one above, sounded much closer and cut through the noise. Tilting his head he saw something blue. His vision was blurry, especially in his right eye, but that must have been from his earlier tears. But he could hear her sobs. Why was she (was it a she?) crying? And why hadn’t he still reached the floor of the cave? There was something beginning to burn near his heart now that the numbness of possession was fading more, and he looked down at his chest.

 Oh. He hadn’t realized there were stalagmites.

He supposed it was lucky then, that he had propelled himself off the ledge. Lewis’s wouldn’t have survived. At least the others were safe.  

Arthur sagged down slowly and could feel the pain –the excruciating _agony_ —beginning to scream in his chest as the hole there widened with gravity, which almost tore a shriek of his own out of his throat. But his mouth still wasn’t his. He supposed it was a good thing: at least Lewis and Vivi wouldn’t know how much this _h u r t_. 

The pounding in his head was too loud to hear anything now, but he felt soft hands clutching at his face. The numbness in his head didn’t fight him as he turned it again. 

The blue was closer now, and it was getting his face wet and he could see the dark shape of a mouth moving but the thundering was too deafening for him to listen. He opened his mouth to tell it everything would be okay, but instead of words there was liquid and he coughed, which only made him slide farther down the spike. More liquid came as he tried to vent his suffering, but it wasn’t working and more red was painting his face and running down his chin. The blue kept wiping it away. The numbness was still there, but then it was spreading too. He tried to take one more breath, but he still couldn’t.

But then it didn’t hurt anymore. At least, not in the same way.

He was floating. For a moment he thought he was floating away, but the sensation stopped after a few moments. He tried to remember what had happened. Where was he? Why was he here?

Did it even really matter?

A sob broke into his thoughts, and he glanced down. 

Oh. The blue was Vivi. He should have known…

What was that she was holding?

It was his face. But he still had his face. It was right here on top of his head. But it was also there. It should be impossible but there it was, staring back at him. His own body was still half-colored green, and the one eye had black sclera and malachite-green irises. But that was fading as he stared. Oh yes. And there was the stalagmite. And his chest wasn’t moving.

There wasn’t a burst of anger. It felt like he was drifting away, but Vivi’s sobs kept pulling him back into the present. Was it strange not to mourn yourself? Maybe it was, but he couldn’t feel anything but at peace with how things had happened. Yes, it hurt. Dying was _hell_. But then again, it had been him and not someone he loved. He could ~~live~~ exist with that.

Another bereaved moan echoed in the cavern and he shook his head. Hovering down next to the girl, he tried to wipe at her tears, only for his hand to pass through her.

Arthur tried a different route. “Vivi? Can you hear me?”

The bluenette jerked and looked up. Her cheeks were red and swollen and streaked with tears and there was so much blood on her for a moment Arthur wondered what happened. Oh wait. It was his.

“Arthur?”

He settled down in front of her. “Don’t worry, Vi. I’m okay…”

At that she sobbed again and clung tighter to his body, burying her face in his hair. “No you’re not! You’re….you’re…”

“Dead.” He supplied, only to wince at another wracking cry in response. Right. Being dead was a bad thing…

“It hurts…” She was gasping for breath now and he floated closer to her.He tried and failed to pat her back comfortingly.

 “I’m sorry.”

“Please come back, Artie. I need you. God it hurts so much…”

He frowned. “I can’t, Vi. You have to be strong.”

_“I can’t be strong! You’re gone! It’s all my fault! I made you come here!”_ She was shrieking the words, and they reverberated off the stone walls until the practically enveloped him in their angry tone laden with loss. He felt something like a hiccup but not, and he saw his arms glitch for a moment. That was strange.

He shook his head before he remembered she couldn’t see him. She was blaming herself. That wasn’t right. He had been possessed. He had saved Lewis.

A thought danced into his reach and he clutched at it gently.“I can…fix this, Vivi.” He didn’t know why or how he knew how to resolve this. He just did.

“You can…?” She sniffled and pulled off her glasses to wipe her eyes.

“I can help you if you let me…everything will be better.”

She gripped onto Arthur’s body tighter and sobbed again. “Do it. I need you back.”

That wasn’t something he could do. He could feel himself drifting again, but he knew one thing he could change.

What she remembered.

Slowly, his hands ghosting over the air next to her hair, he pulled at the thoughts twisting in her head. The memories spread out like a tangled web stringing together countless photographs, like a roadmap of her life and interconnecting thoughts, how the one memory related to another. Carefully, he plucked the ones he knew she wouldn’t need, reconnecting the leftover lines to other memories. With how delicately he had worked, it felt like he had spent hours taking what he could to help her, but it must’ve only been seconds. Lewis wasn’t down here yet.

Or maybe he wasn’t strong enough to come down and see. It didn’t matter. Lewis was okay, and now Vivi was too. He felt a bit more tangible now, like shifting around didn’t take as much effort. He tried to touch his friend’s shoulder again, and this time it worked. Arthur smiled and gently led her towards the tunnel. He didn’t like the blank look on her face, but he supposed it was a side-effect of messing with someone’s mind.

She was at the mouth of the tunnel leading back up when she seemed to gain awareness of herself again. Vivi glanced around, and for a moment Arthur was almost afraid she’d turn back and see, but then an echoing sob and a howl came from farther up, and it sufficiently distracted her. She started to run up the incline, calling out for the others. “Lewis? Mystery?”

Arthur watched her go with a small smile. Lewis might be sad for a while, but he hadn’t killed him. The man was blameless, and could likely let go and move one eventually.

He sighed and drifted to the ground, already beginning to see the fringes of himself fade away.  But somehow he was becoming more solid as well. Why was that?

“̕BE҉CAU̸SE Y͢O̢U̸ ͜ **TOO͡K** W̧HA̢Ţ WA̴SN’̨T͟ ͢YÓƯRS͢.”͘ 

Arthur flinched at the sound. He’d never heard the echoing hiss of voices before, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind who it belonged to as he locked eyes with himself across the cavern. The green still hadn’t faded from the irises.

“What do you want?” His voice was flat and static clung to the words. “You’ve already killed me. Just leave me be.”

“̀I ͝C͢AN͞’̧T. Y͜O̶U M͜A̴D̢Ȩ TH̴È CH͢OI͜CE T̡O ̵F͝A̵L͟L̀.̧ ҉W̷E̛ **B͘O͜T̸H̷** ͞H̵A̕V̢E͏ ͜TO͡ ́SU͘FFER THE C͢ON͠SEQU͢E͝N̢CE҉S ͞OF ̀Y̧OU̕R͜ D̶ECI̷S̶I͟ƠN͘.” 

“What consequences?”

“DO͜ YOU ͜KN҉O̡W̛ ̶W͞H̀AT HAPPE͞NS͝ TO̷ ͡A͢ S̢P҉I̧RI̕T̡ ̵W̡H͠E̛N͝ TH͟E HOŚT͞ **D̡IE͜S** ͡W҉HI͜L̢E̢ IT’͜S S̀TILL I̵N͞SIDĘ,͠ ̨LITT̨LE ̡T̷HIN̢G҉?”͘ 

Arthur frowned. “No…I don’t.”

His arms jerked without his command and wrapped around his neck. “̴I҉ ̵WA̕S͟ ̢O҉NL̴Y G͟ǪING͡ ̷T̷O E͏N͏TER͝T͜A҉IN ̴MY̸S̕E͢ĻF̡. ͏BUT̕ **YÓU̕ ̕RUI͡N҉ED͘ ̢TH͏A҉T**. I D͟ID̀N̢’͝T ̶ESC͠APĘ ͡IN T͏I͝M͝E FRO͘M ͡YO͏UR **P̸A͏T̸H̴E̛TIC** ̵BO͠D̷Y ̴B͠EFOR͟E IT͏ ҉E͟X̀PIRE͘D͘, A̧ND̡ YOUR͘ ҉S̶O͢U҉L F̶E̡L͠T͝ ̕T̢H͜E̴ ͠ȨNERGY S̡TĮLL ̀L̵EFT̕ WĮT̴HIN͟. ͢ **Y̢O̷U̶ ̵A͠BSORBE͜D ̧M͢E L̢I͘K̀E̶ ̕AN A̕V̶OR͢I͜ST́IC ̶S̨PON̕G͝E͘**. ̢HO͝W̶ ҉DO̢ Y̡O҉U THI̸NK͘ ͘YOU S̨P̨A͢W҉N͏ED SO͞ FAST? KNȨW HOW̕ ̴T̛Ó U͡S͠E̕ A̡BIL̡ITI͞ES͘ YO̷U’VE̛ ̢N̡EVER҉ ̴H͘AD̢ AŃD ÉV̛EǸ ͟H̛AD ŢHÉ I͠M͏P̶ƯLSE ̧T͠O U̶SE͢ TH͠E̶M ̨WHEN IT͝ W̕A͠S ̨T̴RAǸSPAR͢EN̷T SHE͜ ̴D͟I̕D ̵N̸OT͝ A̢SK̵ F͟OR WHAT ̴YO͡U ͢D͠ID?̵ **YOU͏ ͝STO͟L҉E̸ T̨HEM̧ F̕R̀OM͡ ̡M̨E̸! ҉** AN̢D͞ N͢OW Í ÁM ͡ **TRA͝P̨P͠ED͢, ̢F̶U͏SED͡ T͝Ơ ̢YOU̢’͏R̶E ͏SOUL̵ LIK͟E A̧ SI͢ÁMES̀Ę ͞T͝W̸I̷N͠!** **Y͟O̡U MI͟GHT ҉W̴ISH ͏TO͘ M͠O͟VE̶ ǪN,͡ ͝BUT͡ I͘ D͠O ͏NOT̷!̡ ̕AND̢ ͘I ̸WÍLL N͟OT͏ L͠EŢ Y̛OU!”͝ ̶**

The words are echoing darkly and are a cacophony of so many enraged tones at once that it is more like an amphitheater of screams than a real voice. If Arthur’s hands weren’t busy, he would have covered his ears. 

The arms finally loosened after a minute. Arthur was still both fading and solidifying and the sensation is disorienting.

But then thoughts he hadn’t been thinking are forcing their way into his brain. He hears Vivi screaming and Lewis’s cry and Mystery howling. He sees every wrong choice of his life and every painful word he’d ever heard, and a few he’d even said. He is faced with a lifetime of guilt and pain, and when the thoughts finally end, they only repeat, and he can’t seem to stop them. He is not sure when he started screaming, but the sound is broken and glitching like a radio station on a too-distant channel.

Guilt and pain begin to claw at his insides, and he feels himself steadily become more solid, until the feeling of floating and fading are only a distant memory. The images finally end their ceaseless repetition, and Arthur slumped down to the floor. The star on his vest illuminated in a soft yellow light before it faded to a dull yellow. Green cracks like cobwebs danced over the surface, the same color that his eyes had been and the little piece of metal thumped like a heartbeat in rhythm to a silent beat.

“́T̀H͞E͜R̷E. YOU̕ S̨H͠O̶UL͞D ́B͝E̸ HAPP̢Y͡.͝ N̸OW̸ TH̵OŚȨ ̡O̵TH̷E̕R ̴ON͜E̢S ̕WI̧L͡L̕ NǪT LO͟S̢E̴ ̧Y͝OU. ́I̷ W̧I͡L̨L̶ ̕NOT͡ ͟F̛AD̸E͝, ͞ĄN̷D ͘N҉EI̴T͠HER͝ ̧W̵ILL Y͠OU͟.͞ W͘E ̨A͡R̵E BƠU̕N͟D. YOU MI҉GH̛T̸ ͟ÀS҉ ̶WE͞L̀L͟ ͢E̡N͟JƠY YO͡U̸R ̡N̢EẂ E͞X͜I͜S̢TEN̷C̛E̶.” 

There was a pause and he could feel thoughts fluttering through his mind too quickly for him to hold on to.“HM̀M…P̵ERHAPS̵ WI͞TH̸ B͟OTH O͏F̸ OU͡R E͟NERG̢IES̡, ͜WE͘ ͏ḾAY̨ E͡V̶E̶N̸ ̴LEA͏VE̡ THIŞ ̕PĹA͡C҉E.” 

Arthur didn’t answer. He curled up on the floor and rocked slightly. The voices grew angry again.

“HO҉W͟ C͡O͟U̴LD̨ S͡ƠM̕E͏T͘H̸I͠NG AS̀ **̸IN̸S̴IǴNI͡F͞I͞C̷AN̵T̀** AS ̴ **Y͢O͡U͘** ͢HA͝V̧E ͞FOƯGH͜T M̛E ̸O͟F̸F?!́ LOÒK͞ A͟T ͝HO͟W͏ ̵ **WE̢A͠K** A̵N̴D́ ̡ **PI̢T̸ĮFUL** ̶YOU̕ A͠RE̴ ̸NOW̢.͘ ͞ **A ̧WAS͟T͡E ͟OF̨ SP̶AC̴E͡!** ” 

He whimpered, but didn’t respond. Desolation was threading though his soul, and all he wanted was to fade. But the guilt weighed him down, and manacles of sorrow bound him more sturdily to the floor. But the more pain that lanced through him, the more dizzy he felt, and the star on his vest slowly began to change, taking on a sickly green while that same golden light it had initially shimmered with only colored the cracks.

Arthur stood, but he didn’t want to.

The voices seemed much calmer again.“AH͜.̛ I S̨UPP̢O̷SE ̶Y͏OU A̵R̛EN͘’T A̸S͡ U͟S̴E̸LES͠S̕ A͜S I ̶THO̵UGHT̶. ̨I ̧C͟AN͜ ST͏IL̵L S̨LIP̸ I̴N̴ A̸T ͞TH̢E P̛EAK͏ ͟O̵F́ ͘YO͜U͞R ̸O͏WN FEE̶LĮN̨G͠S̛.͘ ͏IT͘ ŞH͏OU̵ĻD̡ B̡E S͜IM̸P͘LÉ TO͜ ͢R̶E̷M̨AI͠N͜ ̀I͜N ͘C̷ÓNT̕R͘OL̴.̡ ͝WITH̕ HOW WE͞AK ͠A ̨S͟ǪU̸L͡ ͡Y͏OU̵ A̶RE.”͜ 

His body began to hover up the tunnel. He tried to stop them but the guilt still was all-consuming.

Arthur was at the mouth of the cave when his body finally stopped. “IT SE͟E͞MS ͞I͞ ̵CAN̕’҉T͡ ̛G̀O FAŔT͠H͡ER̕ ̸YE͜T͜.̢ ̕BUT Y͝OU ̕H̷AVÈ EN̶EŔǴY͘ A͟S͝ W̢ELL.̴ W̕E̶ CAN̕ ̕BE҉ ̡FŔEE̵.̕ I̵F̀ ͜Y̶OU͠ OŅLY̧ L̢E͠T ̵M̀E ̵I̶N.̶” 

Arthur looked out. He’d rather be anywhere but this cave. Anywhere. But the spirit wouldn’t be left behind. And it’s idea of entertainment…

It would hurt people. Who knew how many. If he let it out it would only to be free to do as it please.

He was the only line of defense between it and the world.

“…No.”

His body tensed. .͝ ̶“̶I̶ **MUST͠** HAVE͟ ̷MI͞S̸HEA͞RD̕ ̵Y̵OU͏.”̧ 

“I said _no._ ” Arthur pushed back against the thing in his head. “if I have to stay here, so be it. I will not let you _hurt anyone ever again_.” He was angry, but it broke through the guilt. Maybe he’d be trapped here. Forever. But he had a purpose. He could do what he could. Whatever it took to protect other from this thing.

“͢YOU҉ A̕RE ̀M̧A̷KING ͜A̧ GRĄVE̡ ERR͘OR͡,͡ B̢OY…” 

The voice was sharp and low, threats dripping from every word.

Arthur laughed bitterly. “What are you going to do?  _Kill me again?”_

He could move again and his posture relaxed as he grabbed the star. It was turning it’s natural shade of yellow, the acidic green only glowing from the cracks. “All ghosts have an anchor, right? I guess this is ours. If it breaks-.”

“͠TH҉E̡N̴ ͡Y͝OU ̷WILL ̀ **NE͡V̷E̢R͠** SEE ̕Y̢OUR FR͡IE͞ŅD͢S͜ ̛ĄGA͘IN.͢” 

Arthur wiped at his face. He was a ghost. It was their job to help them move on. Would they even want him there if he could come back? He didn’t like the hope blooming in his chest. He was usually disappointed later. Still, he pinned the anchor back to his vest. Maybe…

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re a leech on _my_ soul, not the other way around. You can’t keep control from me. I’ll keep myself level –headed and you’ll never get a chance to hurt someone.”

He paused in thought. “And besides, maybe after enough time I’ll have enough strength to leave on my own. I don’t _need_ you. Not the way you need me.”

He could feel the rolling anger burning somewhere in him, but separate too.

“̕F̸I̴NE̡. **T͟R͠Y͠** A̵ND ̀KEE̛P M̸E͘ ̡ĆON҉T́AI̕NED҉. ̨B̡ŲT͢ ̡S͢EE̕ ͟WHAT ͢H͠A̢PṔÉNS WHEN YOU ҉ **L̵OS̡E͠ ̨C̡O͘N̴T͞ROL̶**. SȨE͡ ͜WH̵A͢T I DO͘ W͜HE͢N͠ ͜YOU **F̸A҉I̷L͡**.̢ ́TH̀EN̕ YOU’͢L͞L̴ **R҉E̡GR͡E̸T͜** THI͡S̀ C͏HO͘ICE.”͢ ͟ 

Arthur settled back onto the floor as he stayed near the entrance. He wouldn’t become like this spirit. He’d at least hold onto his humanity. He stared out the mouth of the cave, watching as an orange van pealed down the road in the distance. He swore he could still hear Mystery’s howls in the air.

“Then I won’t lose control. I won’t become something like you.”

The voices laughed.“͇̞̘̘͡T̳̲͍̙H̜͖̮̺͢A͜T҉̗͙̤’̛͚͔̥S̩͜ ͡ ̟̟̩WH̲̖̱̮͢A̮͎̜̦͈̞ͅT̠͇͎̩͈ ̥̫T͕͉̲͎H͠ÈY̡͇ͅ ̶͉A̱̖̲L͖̮͉̫̻̻͕L̙̗ ̜̞̼S̫͖̭͘A̜̲͚͕̹͙̪͜Y̩̪͔…̛̩̤̗̟̟”̜ 


	11. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This does not end happily. It was a prompt when Ecto mentioned one of the girls being scared of Lewis and saying it'd hurt the most if it was Paprika. So well....i ran with it. This isn't canon to my own version of the universe, and is just a short one-shot. Enjoy!

Everything had worked out so far.

Vivi and Arthur and Mystery were at least friends with him, despite the rather violent circumstances of the events dealing with a certain tree-woman, which had reunited them.

Even now, Vivi was slightly distant, if only because she was reeling from all the new information being packed suddenly into her brain. There was also the difficulty of trying to balance between controlling her anger that he’d even think _Arthur_ could do something like that, especially after how long he’d known him, and dealing with the intensity of a love she had forgotten for months on end.

Even when he said something he didn’t quite mean, that all-too-familiar feeling of anger giving a bite to his words when he addressed Arthur, Vivi rallied to his defense with a fiery passion matching his own. She understood that he was working off of a year of rage and hurt, and that would take time to step back from, but she refused to let Arthur take the brunt of anything after all he’d been through. Sometimes she would talk to Lewis and convince him to apologize, but other times, enough was _enough_.

Mystery was much the same way, angered at Lewis for thinking so little of Arthur, but given the circumstances, he was slightly more forgiving. He could understand like they all could, but to a greater degree. Centuries had taught him humans do foolish things when they are heartbroken. He couldn’t condone Lewis refusing to see them and instead plotting to harm his former best friend and even bringing him and Vivi into harm’s way themselves, but he at least could understand somewhat.

Now he stood as a near constant barrier between the two boys, as if when Lewis’s anger got the better of him he would lunge for Arthur and settle their arguments with violence. It wasn’t an easy task for him either, when Arthur flinched when he got too close to his flesh hand with his hackles raised, but he accepted Arthur’s nerves, and Arthur in turn did his best to keep them to himself.

And Arthur was a cocktail mix of pissed and depressed and ever so jubilant: he had _finally_ gotten his best friend back, but he wasn’t even sure if Lewis was still himself, with all the changes. At first he didn’t believe it, didn’t _want_ to believe it was him.

And if it was, that had meant that their friendship was delicate, flimsy and easy to fracture like a rock to a window pane. That it didn’t matter to Lewis, and he could cast it aside without a thought or even an attempt to hear his _supposed_ best friend’s side. His temper was heated from the lack of trust, but it was tempered by grief that Lewis could think that of him; that he’d be jealous of their relationship and be willing to kill his best friend over it.

And all that left him was bitter.

In the beginning, it was hell for Lewis, coming back and trying to find some semblance of normal. He’d been the one who lost his life, and even in coming back, he’d become the pariah of the group. He’d been murdered wrongfully, and while he had gotten some level of retribution against the thing that had done the deed when they were reunited, he still felt empty. He was still dealing with the many changes that came with coming back from the dead. Months of thinking one thing were not easy to dismiss, and he struggled to forgive something he knew wasn’t Arthur’s fault. With death came a burning passion, and mixed resentments left him explosive. He always regretted their arguments and when Arthur would accept what he was saying, but in those moments he was blind and couldn’t help it. At least Vivi was helping him to see, even if sometimes it left his heart beating painfully against his chest.

Eventually though, Arthur had accepted that this was Lewis. That dying had given him a right to be angry, even if he’d gone about it wrong and should’ve tried trusting Arthur and talking to his friends first. He was bitter, but they communicated instead of leaving things to fester. Lewis steadily grew more capable of handling his easily rising temper when it came to his friends, and Vivi was slowly working between all three of them to mend a gap that should have never existed.

They were nowhere _near_ where they’d been before the cave, but they were making _progress._

And with that progress came the idea that Lewis should see his family. Vivi brought it up, and Lewis had seemed less than enthused. Mainly, he was scared of what they would think of him now. Arthur and Vivi and Mystery didn’t know for sure how they would respond, but they knew he would never find out if he didn’t at least make an attempt. And his family missed him dearly. Wouldn’t it be worth seeing them again, when in all likelihood everyone would end up happy to be brought together again?

They didn’t push Lewis if he wasn’t ready, but eventually, he caved.

Lewis came to the restaurant door with wringing hands and wispy hair. Arthur and Vivi went inside to fetch his parents while Mystery waited outside with him. He had decided to show himself - _all_ of himself- to them first. Then introduce himself to his sisters slowly, one at a time, depending on his parents’ response.

It had gone even better than he’d anticipated. They stepped outside into the murky feeling of being watched, of something being right over their shoulder and just in sight only to disappear when they turned to get a better view. It was an aura he couldn’t help but give off, especially at times when he was nervous or angry, and right now anxiety was rattling him to his bones.

But his parents, when they saw him, said nothing of the way his hair flickered like a candle flame, and nothing of his blackened eyes with rings of violet. They said nothing about his skin being too warm when they embraced him, and even when his secondary skeletal form was shown, they only said they’d know their son anywhere, and that didn’t matter. He’d finally come home.

Meeting the eldest of little sisters went alright enough as well. Cayenne thought he looked amazing, and seemed to especially enjoy the creepy feeling and his second form. She played with his hair and he let her shape it, and she gave him a spectral Mohawk before exploring his hands with her tiny fingers, touching at the bone plates of his fingers and the back of his palm.

In the end, she told him he was still Lewis, and that she was glad to have her big brother again. That he was even cooler now and they could have fun playing pranks now that he had other skills, like invisibility. Her acceptance did wonder for his mood.

Belle came next. While she wasn’t as enthused about the skeleton side when he revealed it after some time spent together, she was accepting and gave her brother a hug.  

Then came the countless questions about how everything worked. How his abilities manifested, what he was made of, if he could change more parts of himself than his hair, how the fire he summoned worked and its limitations. She wanted to understand how it all came together to make him tick, much like the toys and gadgets she’d started taking apart even when she was little to understand the ways they functioned. Lewis wasn’t the most comfortable with the line of questioning, but he answered them regardless for his dear sister.

His youngest sister was the last, and the one he found most nerve-wracking to see. He loved them all equally and could never choose a favorite between them, but Paprika and him had been the closest to one another.

Cayenne had always taken a shine to Vivi and Mystery when they entered his life, playing small pranks and reading scary ghost stories (and some sweet ones. Vivi had particularly strong feelings about making sure ghosts weren’t only painted as monsters to fear at night.). Belle and Arthur got along well too, both of them having a shared interest in understanding the way pieces made the whole of an object, and taking items apart to discover the purpose of every inner bit and bob.

And then there was Paprika, who was tiny and quiet, like he was when he had begun to be a part of their family. She had a special connection with him. He was the one she turned to when she was upset to make things better. To kiss small cuts to make them heal faster. He was the one she hid behind when she was shy about meeting someone new. He was the one she squealed and played with, who she wanted to ride on the shoulders of. Lewis was the one she asked to read her a story at night, and have tea parties with her and to watch Disney movies or Sailor Moon.

He was part of the family when she was born, and there was never any question to her that Lewis was her brother. While the other two girls accepted him easily, Paprika was the one he was _always_ the brother of.

He didn’t love her more than he loved his sisters, but there was still something special between him and Paprika.

That only added to his nerves when he saw her, but they were close, and his other two sisters had accepted him. She would too, he was sure.

Things went well. Paprika squealed when she saw him in his human form and hugged his leg until he lifted her up and spun her around. The two of them played together for a while with dolls and watched The Little Mermaid, Paprika’s favorite princess movie.

And then came the moment of truth, when he let his skin fade away to black and bone, and a skull took the place of his head. He did so slowly so as not to alarm her, and warned her it was coming.

The moment he was done, he looked up at her with hope, and felt his nonexistent stomach seize when tears were watering in her eyes, building up and rolling in fat droplets down the contours of her cheeks.

Lewis moved forward with worry, hair flickering and a projected voice from a missing mouth echoing as he asked her if she was alright. He knew he might scare her and the fact that she was crying wasn’t a good sign. He wanted to comfort the sister he loved so dearly, and he reached out bone-patterned hands for her.

And then Paprika started to scream.

Lewis yanked his hands away as if he’d been burned, the force seeming to carry him back a step as well. He returned to his human appearance, but Paprika only screamed louder, eyes locked on his own no longer concealed by sunglasses. His parents rushed in at the commotion, and they picked up Paprika as she screeched and blubbered, tears and snot running in thick rivulets on her face as she writhed in their arms for a moment before curling up.

Lewis hung back in the corner, watching with wide eyes. She refused to look his way, and when her parents asked her what was wrong, she pointed in his direction and bawled. “It’s a monster!”

Lewis’s face seemed to pale, the blood no longer pumping in his veins draining from his face and giving him a more ghostly pallor. His parents shushed her as consolingly as they could and rocked her. “That’s Lewis, Paprika…” they were gentle as they said it. “Just look at him, you can tell.”

“No it’s _nott_!!” Came her shrieking reply between hiccups and tears. “It looks like Lewis, but it’s _not_ him! It’s a _monster_!!” And she continued to weep and wail, inconsolable, until Lewis couldn’t handle hearing it anymore. Perhaps she would recover if he wasn’t in the room with her, so he left them to give them distance.

The words she’d used were similar to what Arthur had said in denial that it was Lewis, and what his own thoughts after reuniting with his friends had been. To hear them from Paprika, his baby sister who’d always looked up to him…?

… He knew his heart carried a crack he wasn’t sure could heal now.

Not like the one Vivi and Arthur and Mystery had caused. That damage had happened on accident, and since Vivi hadn’t pulled away, he was able to rekindle his determination to find her. Even if it had been for the wrong reasons that it broke and was mended, it had been possible.

But this was the event he’d feared most: the idea of it happening -of being rejected by any member of his family- had petrified him to the very core of his being. And then it had come true.

He still had many reasons to stay: for the rest of his family and for Vivi and even Mystery and Arthur, but hearing the sister he was closest to’s fear of him, he couldn’t imagine how to continue and what he should do with himself. Vivi and Arthur and Mystery had always assured him he was the same man inside, that some things had changed, but he was still Lewis when things had begun to heal between them all. But hearing Paprika call him a monster…

…he had to wonder if maybe it really was true.


	12. After the Beep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fanfic based on my [headcanon here.](http://arthur-tristan-kingsmen.tumblr.com/post/143770215106/officialghostlewis-arthur-tristan-kingsmen) Special thank you to Kirbychan for sitting in with me as I wrote my heart into a dumpster.

He remembered the way Arthur’s feet shuffled, when he’d bothered Lewis by clearing his throat and shoving a phone into his face. He remembered Arthur’s tight “Here. It’ll work.” As he took the device from him, weighing the heavy phone in his hand, the thing too light to even register.

He remembered glaring at the back of Arthur’s head when he skittered off with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, thinking how disrespectful it was to interrupt someone and then immediately rush off without so much as an explanation.

Vivi had been more helpful, he’d thought. She’d grinned ear to ear and taken the phone from his open palm, fiddling with the buttons on the screen. “I asked him to look into it.” She’d said. “To see if there was something he could do to make a phone...well...workable for you.” She grinned and the room brightened as she presented it to him again. “Go ahead and try it! I’m excited to see how it works!”

She wiggled with her anticipation, before seeming to remember something. “Oh! Arthur said it wouldn’t work without some kind of SIM card. He said he’d pick one up for you in a few days when I’d asked him about it, but...I got the one of your old phone.”

She’d led him towards her room, holding one of his large hands and almost dragging him along. “I know things are...different.” How could she not notice, he’d thought. “But I thought something familiar might help. When we found...you… I found your phone nearby. It had its SIM and I thought maybe you might like having your pictures and texts and stuff still. If they’ll transfer over.”

He remembered thinking, honestly considering, deleting some of the pictures of Arthur. Just for some petty revenge to ease his temper. The one even he knew was irrational, but ever-present. But that was better than yelling at the person he once called “best friend”, wasn’t it?

He told himself it was.

He’d accepted the small chip from Vivi when she’d found it and offered it in an open palm with her smile he adored. He gave her one of his own before having her much smaller, delicate fingers open the back of his phone and slide the chip into place. The phone buzzed several times when the casing had been replaced, and he’d looked in surprise at the screen, lowering it down for Vivi to see as well. Icons with a hefty number of missed texts and voicemails blinked on the screen, too many to concern himself with for the moment. He would look over them later, when he had some time to himself.

How many of them, he’d thought, had been his parents, calling him to see where he was? Vivi, trying to find out who this ‘Lewis’ was in her phone contacts? How many people had tried to reach out when he’d ‘gone missing’? A prickle of too-familiar rage stung at his neck, but he’d shoved it away.

An accident. That’s what they had called it, Arthur’s murder of him. He knew the facts, but getting his head and his heart to agree was turning out to be more difficult by far. If his death was an accident, the work of some greater force, then who could he blame? No one left him with so much anger and no direction to point it in, to help him find catharsis over his ordeal. Anger was easy. This...wasn’t.

The messages had slipped his mind. He’d called Vivi with his phone from the other room, listening to her squeal when his voice came through clear, and the phone didn’t short-circuit on her end. Then the cell had been pocketed, and he forgot about it, focusing instead on spending time with her and Mystery, shooting disapproving looks at Arthur’s door when his tools grew too loud, and when it grew late in the evening.

When Vivi, satisfied from her dinner he’d made, had finally declared it time to sleep, Mystery had followed her to her room to bed down. The din of Arthur’s room had continued a time longer (he’d noted in disdain how Arthur hadn’t eaten even a bite of the food he’d so carefully prepared, and his fuse had only shortened).

Eventually, the noise had died out, and the light to his room had been clicked off, the stripe of yellow beneath his door vanishing. Lewis had done his usual rounds, drifting through all of their rooms and checking that the three living residents of their apartment were still alive, breathing. The fear that so easily that might change like it had for him left him checking between their rooms, Arthur’s once every hour, and Vivi’s at each half-hour mark.

In the time between his check-ups, he busied himself with storing the leftovers, clearing the counters, and odd jobs to make the apartment sparkle (like Vivi’s personality, he’d smiled at himself at the thought.). When the rooms were clear and clean, he’d found a book to read through, a slim book Vivi had tucked away on a shelf. It wasn’t about anything he found interesting, but after reading so many of the other books so many other times, his choices were not wide if he wanted something new.

The book, as thin as it was, had not lasted long. With information on Nigeria and Feminism now rattling around in his skull, he’d replaced the work back on the shelf where he’d found it, already thinking of something new he could entertain himself with, until Vivi rose to fetch her morning coffee and he could safely start breakfast for her.

And then he’d remembered his phone.

Drawing the cell from his pocket, Lewis had settled himself onto the couch, knees wide and arms resting on them while his fingers tapped slowly at the screen. Arthur had been...strangely thoughtful, in that the size he’d provided was easier on his hands. He was having an easier time pressing the right buttons, despite his fingers being bigger than average for those who used touch-phones like this.

At first, he’d only messed around, checking the various apps and exploring the device now that he could without short-circuiting it. He wasn’t the most adept at maneuvering around the phone itself, but if he didn’t know what something was for, he could easily press the home key so it would disappear off-screen.

That had, unfortunately, only wasted a handful of minutes, and he had many more to fill. While he hadn’t exactly been thrilled with the idea of hearing his father and mother quietly pleading with him to come home, he steeled his heart and resigned himself to at least listening to them. To get those messages out of the way for now.

And he could admit to himself he missed their voices, and a part of him longed to hear them again while he still gathered the courage to see his family again now that he was so...different. Changed from how their son used to be (the word ‘disappointment’ had echoed in his head remembering some of what he had done, but he pushed it away).

Tapping the key on his phone to initiate speaker-mode, Lewis let the first message play, blinking at the familiar voice.

_“Hey Lew? Please, if you’re hearing this, please ...call me back.”_

The message ended, and the woman’s tinny voice prompted him to save or delete it. He chose to delete it and listen to the next.

Arthur’s voice came out again, this time heady and thick, with a slur on his words. _“Lewww…. Why won’ you answer? We were all at that cave and they said there’s an...an accident. My arm is gone! Mystery- he jus’...he took it right off! I don’t even know why!”_ The voice quieted, another in the background talking to him for a moment or two. Arthur’s voice came back. _“Tha’s a nurse. She’s gonna do a tessst so I gotta go. But Lew you were with us! You shoul’ be here too. Where are you, Lew? Please tell me yer...yer okay…”_

The message ended, and Lewis looked towards the closed door of Arthur’s room with a small frown. He saved this message, before continuing on to the next.

Many of the next ones were similar. Arthur was looking for him in his calls, sounding more and more worried even through a haze of what must have been painkillers. One of the messages was from Vivi, asking who the number belonged to because she didn’t recognize it, and several were from his parents. But as each of the others slowly petered out, Arthur’s messages continued in a steady flow.

He’d lost count of how many messages he’d listened to, before a new one played, where Arthur sounded fully lucid, and didn’t start by asking where he was. His voice was somber, subdued in a way he’d only heard a few times before.

_“Hey Lew….I...Mystery told me you- you...uh….Mystery said you’re not coming back.”_ Arthur cleared his throat. _“He won’t tell me exactly what happened, but he said...he said something happened to you in the cave. I didn’t believe him. Even right now it’s...it’s hard to consider he might be right. I mean, you’re- you’re Lewis! My best friend! You can’t...can’t be…”_ There was a pause, longer this time. Lewis counted four thumps of his beating heart before Arthur spoke again. _“I still want him to be wrong. But your phone is going just to voicemail now. Which means you’re not charging it. A-and you wouldn’t leave Vivi alone, so...something bad must’ve happened. Please get back to me if I’m wrong….I really want to be wrong.”_

The message ended and like the last few he’d listened to, it was saved with numb fingers.

_“So...you never replied. I don’t know if you’re out there, but...I miss you. I didn’t tell anyone, but I’m keeping this line up. I mean I guess you’re probably not really there, but...I don’t know. I get to hear your voice. I get to talk to you. That’s all I can do to keep myself sane.”_

Saved.

_“They had a service for you today, Lewis. I think you would have appreciated it. They had those purple roses I know you really like. You mom and dad….they looked really tired. I wish there was more I could do. They hired a busboy after a few weeks to keep up with everything, but….I don’t think their hearts are really in it anymore. They’re trying but...you missing has hit so many people, Lew. So many people showed up for your wake. You just….you touched so many people. I hope you know that.”_

Trembling fingers saved the message.

_“Success! Lewis, I did it! It’s finally working! I’ve been slaving over this arm for weeks to get it working, and it does! I mean, sure it sparks and I can’t really feel with it, but it’s good enough for now. Good enough for getting on the road. I’ve already started mapping out locations. When Vivi gives me the green light and we get a few days free, we’re going to start looking for you. I’m sure if we try hard enough, we’ll find you. One way or another, I promise we will.”_

The next few messages varied, most of them light-hearted and promising to find him, a few more venting than anything. A few mentioned irritable or annoying customers at the shop ( _“All that was wrong was he dropped a burrito in the hood! Why not just take it out and save himself 200 dollars?”_ ), or something he saw in the day that reminded him of Lewis, from a vintage Sailor Moon figure, to a poster for ghost pepper fries at the Wendy’s the next town over. The voicemails grew more excited closer to the date they’d set to go out and start looking for Lewis, and he started speaking about going on the trip more and more. A few of the cases were mentioned, places they’d gone to see if Lewis was. And listening to the messages one after the other only made it clear how the hope Arthur clung to was waning with every dead-end.

_“I just want to find you, Lewis.”_ His voice cracked in the next message. _“Everyone misses you so much, and they need the closure. I need it. I need to be able to see you and say goodbye one last time, i-if you...you didn’t stick around. Even you need it. I mean...you deserve peace, Lewis. Not some- some cave floor, or something. You deserve to be buried with dignity, and get goodbyes from your family and friends and Vivi. I can’t- I won’t- give up on you, Lewis. I’ll keep looking until there’s nowhere else to search. And then I’ll look again. I promise Lewis. You won’t be alone. I’ll find you. No matter what, I’ll bring you home.”_

The buttons were blurry as he pressed save, tears leaking unbidden from his eyes as he stared at the phone. There were so many more messages. How many more had Arthur left him? How many more could he bear to listen to? The fire of any anger he’d held had been tamped to nothing, washed away with a gnawing, heavy guilt. Arthur had….Arthur had never given up on him.

He wished he could say the same.

The rest of the messages he tried to skim through. Most of them were just random updates on cases they’d taken while looking for him. There was mention of a girl named Jade and a zombie in one, a few ghosts, and it was easy to hear both the frustration and determination from Arthur as he spoke about each of the cases. Even one mentioned off-hand a tiny, paraplegic hamster that Vivi had given him, sounding annoyed by the surprise, but admitting at the end he found it rather cute.

In another message he spoke of his uncle admonishing him for focusing so much on his search, and he admitted maybe he was pushing too hard. There was a promise he made to himself and to Lewis that he’d never stop looking, but he would make sure to keep from overdoing it when others needed him too.

Now some mentioned his slow rebuilding of a friendship cracked by what he remembered of the cave with Mystery, and of spending time with Vivi. It was almost a side-note in another when he mentioned working sometimes at the Peppers’ restaurant to keep things spic and span, and how he visited his sisters. One message he listened to in full had Arthur obviously panicked about some event with Vivi, and it had something to deal with her memory loss, but he never mentioned what it was, leaving the problem up to the imagination, but apparently solved by the next message. A few voicemails later made mention that his hamster now had a set of wheels to run around on instead of being just confined to his cage, and how seeing the change in demeanor of the little rodent filled Arthur with a sense of hope that things would get better.

Steadily, the number of voicemails dwindled. Lewis was conflicted, unsure whether he was glad to have made it through them, or worn down by all the thoughts now racing in his head. There were only two more to go, he checked before listening, and they were both from Arthur’s number. The first was about thirty seconds, and the second, only six.

Starting the penultimate voicemail, Lewis could feel his eyebrows lift in surprise as Arthur spoke through the voicemail. He’d considered skimming and skipping, but the word ‘manor’ in the message caught his attention.

_“Today was interesting.”_ Arthur sounded tired, and he was sure the sound he heard like a breeze hitting something solid was a stifled yawn. _“Still no sign of you… but there was this weird manor the van broke down in front of for some reason. We were on the way to check out one of the locations when it happened, so we popped inside to see if there was anyone who could help. Then shit just went south from there._

_“When we went inside...this guy just...well he attacked us. Or...well, I guess he attacked me. He wasn’t all that interested in Vivi or Mystery, until they got in the way.”_ There was a pause and another yawn. _“But….yeah. I actually...feel bad for him. He was angry, but...I don’t know. It felt like he was hurt. Something happened to him that made him that way. He just needed...someone to listen. To get through to him.”_

There was a soft sigh. _“I wish we could’ve done something for him. But he kind of...exploded when I pulled Vivi away.  It was just too dangerous, and I didn’t want her getting hurt, you know? I’m sure you would’ve agreed had you been there. But...maybe after we find you, we can go back and find a way to get through to him. Everyone deserves the chance to find some peace. Whatever happened...I just hope when we come back we can help him.”_

The sound that escaped Lewis could only be described as a pitiful moan, and tears ran freely as he stared at the blurry shape of the phone in his hand. Arthur didn’t even know it was him, yet he was determined to do what he could, even with the threat on his own life. Arthur could be….so selfless, sometimes. He just wanted to do what he could for everyone else. Why hadn’t he seen that sooner? Why had he even considered Arthur capable of...of doing something like pushing him to his _death?_ He should’ve known- he _should’ve_ -! Without hearing so many messages from Arthur. They’d been best friends all their lives. And how long after he died did he blame Arthur? Days? Weeks? And the anger was still there, even if it was controlled and no longer homicidal. How could he let it get so bad? How could he let it come to _this_?

Lewis wiped at his eyes, giving himself a brief moment of clear vision to play the next message. It was the last one. Just one more, and he would have made it through all of them. Changed in opinions about some things for certain, and just barely managing to keep his heart from cracking under the strain of his current thoughts.

The play button tapped with clumsy, numbed fingers, Lewis listened.

_“....”_

It was deathly silent. He took a moment to glance at the phone, to check that he’d pressed play. It was three seconds in and still not a word had been said. Maybe Arthur had accidentally called him. He was considering turning it off.

_“...I’m sorry.”_

The volume of the words was barely above a whisper, and Arthur’s voice cracked so many times in those last two seconds. He’d never heard Arthur sound so broken before.

_End of message. Delete, press seven. Save, press nine. More options, press zero._

_Saved. End of new messages. To-_

_Goodbye._

The voicemail app shut down at his prompting, and Lewis barely had the control to set the phone on the coffee table beside the couch instead of dropping it.

The second it was out of his hand, they both twisted to hold and cover the whole of his face, Lewis doubling forward and hunching into himself. He covered his face, one hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds escaping at the pain seizing the fabric of his being, twisting his heart and stomach into new, withered shapes. Lewis bit down on his knuckles to quell the whimpering and choking sobs, so he wouldn’t wake the others through their doors. He wasn’t sure he would be able to look them in the eye. He could _never_ fully describe the way he felt right now to them.

Despite its golden glow, he knew a hairline crack had carved itself into his heart inside his chest, deeper than it looked and reaching down to his core.

* * *

 

Arthur woke up to the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. There was a distinct maple and meaty scent on the air, and a clatter of dishes from the kitchen. Blearily, he stumbled from the bed, wiping at his face with his only arm and patting his cheek to wake himself faster.

Sleeping pants thrown over his boxers, Arthur shuffled from his room out into the living room. Lewis was visible from the kitchen, back turned towards the griddle, the hiss and pop of crackling bacon sounding. Arthur wrung his hands, face like a caught, misbehaving puppy before he teetered with meek steps into the kitchen, directly for the fridge. Lewis didn’t seem to notice him, or he was ignoring him.

He wouldn’t blame him if he was.

Arthur’s fingers had wrapped around a chilled energy drink when another larger hand found the top of his, and Arthur jumped. The can clunked back onto the shelf, wobbling, but managing to stay upright.

Arthur turned to look up, catching the look on Lewis’s face. “Lewis…?”

“I…” He seemed at a loss for words. Lewis rubbed at his neck and looked away. “Arthur, I um...I made breakfast. I uh… I think Vivi would like it if you had some too. ... _I_ would like it, too.”

Now it was his turn to be without a decent response. “You...what? Really?”

“Yeah.” Lewis adjusted his ascot. “Look...I’ve….since the three of us have been around each other again...I haven’t given you much of a chance, I realize.” He looked up to the ceiling. “I’ve been...angry. And it was easier to blame you for it. That you somehow wanted things to happen the way they did.”

Stricken, Arthur opened his mouth, but a raised hand silenced him. “I _know_ that’s not true. But...it was easy to pretend it was.” Being angry was easier than being wrong.

“Look, Arthur I just...I was thinking last night. This morning. And...I want to try to get past... this. We were friends. _Best_ friends. I know I haven’t been there, or been the friend you need, but...can I get another chance? Can we just- just start new? Try again at this?” Arthur deserved _better_ than he’d been given. He knew that now.

Arthur still hadn’t found his voice, but he nodded mutely. He winced at the bone-crushing hug in response, which seemed to push out the words with a wheeze, a feeble attempt at humor. “L-Lewis, your bacon.”.

Lewis held him tight and closed his eyes. “It’s okay. I can make more.” He squeezed Arthur, not ready to let go just yet. He needed this just as much as Arthur did, he was sure.

It took a few moments, but he knew the defenses Arthur had up were crumbling. Arthur’s frame had started to tremble inside his arms, and fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. His own eyes welled when shaky apologies fell like sheets of rain out of Arthur’s mouth, pouring a stream that pounded against him with something wet that stained his clothes.

Lewis pressed a bony cheek into the top of Arthur’s head and rubbed at his back. He didn’t speak for fear of making things worse when he didn’t know what to say to make things better. He called silently to a deadbeat to handle the cooking so a grease-fire wouldn’t ruin their moment.

“I thought you h-hated me.” Arthur hiccuped against his chest, and the crack only grew deeper in the heart just out of reach.

“I thought I did, too.” Lewis replied, contrite.

Arthur’s response was another hiccup, and Lewis lifted his chin to look at him. “But I was wrong. So wrong. Arthur...you looked for me. You never gave up. I’m sorry that _I_ did.” He finally let go of Arthur, squeezing at his right shoulder. “You were always the friend I deserved. I just...didn’t notice. I want to change that, Arthur. I really do.”

Arthur wiped at his eyes roughly a wet sound escaping a constricted throat. “It’s not even ten and I’m already cried out.” He tried to joke, but it fell flat behind tears and a stuffed nose turning his voice nasally.

Lewis chuckled anyway. “I didn’t mean to throw so much at you. But I wanted you to know.” His face twisted into something hopeful and he held out his hand. “Can we just...start over? As friends again?”

It was one of the weakest smiles he’d ever seen on Arthur’s face, but the first one he’d seen since he’d reunited with his teammates. “I… I think I’d like that. I...I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Arthur.” Lewis returned it with one of his own before looking to the griddle. “I think I’ll try to save breakfast. Can you do me a favor and wake up the other two?”

Arthur nodded and wiped at his eyes and face one more time. “Just let me use the bathroom really quick.” As he left, Lewis watched him, holding a plate out for the deadbeat to pile their slightly crunchy bacon on. They were nowhere near recovered. He had so much to make up to Arthur for.

But this was a start.


End file.
